Archive for March, 2017

Paul Reveley – Rest In Peace

Posted on: March 29th, 2017 | Category: News

On Sunday 12th March 2017, Paul Vernon Reveley died in hospital of pneumonia in his 106th year. He had been fit and well, but had fallen at home and was admitted to hospital for observation. Most unusually for someone of his age he had not been on any medication. Whilst under observation at the hospital he contracted a chest infection, which developed quickly into pneumonia.

So ended the life of our last direct link to the days of John Logie Baird. Paul had worked for 6 years for John Baird, five of which were working directly for him as his senior engineer. As such, of all the people associated with Baird, Paul had had the longest acquaintance with Baird as his direct boss. Paul retained an exceptional memory and enthusiasm for and keen knowledge of current affairs and could recall events in the 1930s as if they happened just a few years ago. This was evident to anyone who saw him in the BBC4 documentary, ‘Television’s First Night’, produced and directed by Peter Gauvain, shown on 2 Nov 2016 and repeated on 28 March 2017.

I had the honour to have known him since the late 1990s up until his death.

He is survived by a daughter.

There is an obituary on page 40 of the Royal Television Society’s Journal for April 2017.