Encyclopaedia of Jamaican Philately
(EJP)

Obituary

Died 29th September, 1934.

(Obituary by LCC Nicholson in the Jamaica Philatelist June 1935)

Like a meteor, Mr. Hopkinson had hardly appeared in the Philatelic world with his brilliant display before he was gone for ever and philately has lost one of the keenest West Indian Specialists that ever lived.

Mr. Hopkinson was the eldest son of the hate Mr. Joseph Hopkinson, formerly of Clevedon House, Edgerton, Huddersfield. He was for some years a director of Messrs. Hopkinsons Ltd., Britannia Works, Birkby, and in his younger days was associated with the old Huddersfield Volunteers. During the Great War he acted as a recruiting officer in the Bournemouth area, where he then resided, and in June 1918, he was awarded the O.B.E.

He was a member of the Huddersfield Club, the Fly Fishers' Club, and the Devonshire Club, London.

He was interested in the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, the Association of Yorkshiremen in London, and the Wimbledon Conservative and Unionist Association.

He was only fifty-eight years old and leaves a widow and two daughters.

Mr. Hopkinson only took up Philately a few years ago, but lie was the keenest student of the hobby that I have ever met. Ile decided to specialise in West Indian stanips with Jamaica in particular, and having considerable private means lie very soon

began to get together a remarkable collection. He thirsted for knowledge and was very keen to know all lie could about the stanips and postal history of the West Indies.

In the short space of two or three years, lie had amassed a collection mounted in no less than forty-eight volumes. Twenty-five of these were allotted to Jamaica, which included six volumes of pre-stamp covers and three volumes of British stamps used in Jamaica..

A detailed description of this collection appears in "Godden's Gazette" from February 1935 onwards, as the firm of Frank Godden Ltd., purchased the whole collection outright from the Executors.

Mr. Hopkinson was elected a member of the Royal Philatelic Society, London on 2nd November 1933, and joined the Jamaica Philatelic Society as a life member about the same time.

Although he bad been known to philatelists such a short time, I for one shall miss him very much, as he bad considerable correspondence with me and was always sending me his little problems to solve.

His manner was so pheasant that he made friends wherever he went.

He had planned to visit Jamaica during the winter of 1934/35, but it was not to be.

Homo proponit sed Deus disponit.

Allen Haigh Hopkinson

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