Malmesbury pacifist dies aged 82 (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Malmesbury pacifist dies aged 82

THE veteran peace campaigner, the Rev Sydney Hinkes, a well-known figure in and around Malmesbury, has died at the age of 82.

He was one of a team of Anglican ministers serving rural north Wiltshire, working in recent years mainly in the parishes of Crudwell, Oaksey, Ashley, Hankerton and Long Newnton.

After distinguished service in the Paratroop Regiment in World War Two, fighting in campaigns at Arnhem and on the Rhine, the young Hinkes was ordained and became a dedicated pacifist.

He took part in many anti-nuclear demonstrations at sites around the country, and became accustomed to being arrested during incidents of peaceful resistance, and spending the occasional night in a prison cell.

For many years, he chaired the Anglican Pacifist Fellowship, and throughout the Iraq conflict was a leading light in the "Stop the War Coalition".

"We have lost someone very special," Rev Barry Raven, parish priest of Crudwell, told the Standard. "I will miss him terribly. While he was seen by some as a maverick, he was widely respected, even among military people, as well as well-loved."

Born in Dagenham, Essex, Rev Hinkes' first job as a parish priest was in Southend, and he later moved to a parish in Oxford. In addition to having their own children, he and his wife Elsie fostered many more.

To help the couple celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary last year, Rev Raven took them to see a restored Dakota aeroplace at Kemble like those he would have parachuted from during the war.

Canon Bernard Dagnall, a vicar at Newbury, Berkshire and a friend of Rev Hinkes for 30 years first met him when he was a student at Oxford.

He said: "I will remember Sidney as someone who was extremely conscientious in his work, consistent in his views, and an example to us all. I learned a great deal from him."

A fellow minister in the north Wiltshire area, the Reverend Peter Yacomeni commented: "Sidney's pacifism grew out of his practical experience of war and his views were respected because of that experience.

"He was a pretty tough character, and his death will leave a big hole in many people's lives."

The funeral service will take place at Crudwell church this Saturday, February 18, at 12 noon.