Les Anthony, John's driver from 1965-1971, has died. The story goes that John was having problems finding a suitable chauffeur, and so Brian Epstein, upon visiting Kenwood one day and noticing Les cleaning a Roller in the drive of an adjacent property, made him an offer he couldn't refuse.
No doubt witness to all manner of rum goings on, Anthony (as John would call him) admirably kept schtum, and John wrote him a warm letter from New York upon their eventual parting of the ways. Les went on to drive for the Tory MP and peer Geoffrey Rippon, which saw him through the following 19 years up to his retirement. (Hint: Rippon is not the one in the cloth cap.)
"You've been a good lad over the years and faithful - for which I thank you," quoth John in his valedictory letter. "See you some day."
Les Anthony, 30th April 1933 - 21st May 2020.
