Roy Elwood FRPS, MPAGB, APAGB, EFIAP
Life President Whickham Photographic Club
1^st April 1925 – 6^th June 2025, Aged 100

Roy’s Funeral will take place on:
Monday 30th June, 1:15pm 
at Mountsett Crematorium, Ewehurst Road, Dipton, Stanley DH9 9JP

Roy’s daughter Carolyn and son Rod request family flowers only please. Any donations to be made to the RNLI.

For those unable to attend in person, the service will be streamed live:
https://www.wesleymedia.co.uk/webcast-view
Use PIN number 553-4944 to access the webcast.
Further instructions are available here.

After Crematorium there will be a buffet at Gibside Hotel, Front Street, Whickham, NE16 4JG to celebrate Roy’s life.

Obituary

By Alan Wilson on behalf of Whickham Photographic Club.

We are saddened to say goodbye to a giant of a man both in the world of North East Photography and in life. At 6ft 4” in his socks Roy was a major figure while remaining an absolute gentleman.

Born in Manchester he was introduced to printing as a child by his father, a photographer to his group recording Sunday School and Band of Hope outings. Purchased from Woolworths (for about 4p) Roy’s first camera was a V.P. Twin, although he advised “I do not remember the snaps being much good, and none have survived”.

During World War 2 he joined the Royal Navy at age 18 training as a Radar Operator and was drafted to HMS Zambesi a newly commissioned destroyer on the River Mersey. After a period of working up with ships of the Home Fleet at Scapa Flow, Zambesi joined the 2^nd Destroyer Flotilla, Home Fleet for screening duty and patrol on the North Western Approaches, including operations against the Tirpitz.

Zambesi escorted a number of Arctic Convoys and other operations in the North Sea and off the coast of Scandinavia. As the war reached its end she was deployed with the Home Fleet to support operations to re-occupy countries previously under German occupation, including guardship duties.

Two actions that lived forever with Roy was recovery of survivors from the Island of Soroya and SS Henry Bacon sunk by Luftwaffe planes after surviving force 12 storms while returning from a Murmansk run. Roy has been recorded for posterity by numerous historical societies about his time on the Zambesi and the ships exploits. Medals awarded by UK, Norwegian and Russian authorities were worn with pride while leading the Whickham remembrance Day Celebrations marching at the head of the parade and laying a wreath on behalf of the Whickham Historical Society and latterly Whickham Photographic Club.

Roy’s serious photography dates from the late 1940s when he used a folding Zeiss Icon roll film camera acquired by trading cigarettes (the hard currency) with a German family in Wilhelmshaven shortly after the war ended.

Following demobilization, he became involved with a youth group and documented their activities. He borrowed his brother’s enlarger to supply prints but quickly became hooked and never looked back.

Touring Europe on a motorcycle and raising children onboard the sailing barge ‘Windhaver’ all seemed to be matter of fact to Roy, who could turn his hand to manufacturing with wood, creating much of WPC’s print display equipment.

He had no experience of clubs when he came to Newcastle in 1972, but in the mid-seventies joined Tynemouth P.S. and after moving to Gibside he joined Whickham C.C. (now Whickham P.C.) in 1985. He has worked on both committees, held many posts and been President of both Clubs. Whickham honoured him with a Life Presidency.

Roy was a committed monochrome photographer and much of his work is people based. He has had work published in books and magazines and for some years was a feature writer for Mono Magazine. His mono prints have been accepted in over forty countries around the world, many gaining awards. He has held seven solo exhibitions and more than twice as many shared ones, the latter mainly as a member of the Imprint Group. His work was exhibited recently at St Nicholas Cathedral, Newcastle and as part of a 100^th birthday celebration by his club at Whickham Community Centre where he was a Trustee.  A panel of twenty nude studies, each showing a part of a man and part of a woman gained him Fellowship of the RPS (Royal Photographic Society), and gave expression to three enduring loves, natural light, human form and monochrome.

He particularly enjoyed showing his work to groups at club meetings, days of photography and photographic weekends offering social interaction and long-term friendships. Active to the last he was guest of honour onboard historic Norwegian vessel SS Hestmanden berthed in Newcastle for Victory in Europe celebrations where he was interviewed by local TV and newspaper reporters as a Royal Navy veteran and well-known photographer only 2 days prior to passing.

Pre-deceased by his wife Rosalind in 1986 he is survived by daughter Carolyn and son Rod.

A passing of an iconic figure. Roy will be missed.