Dennis born in Leicester on 31st October 1931. He was one of four children, sharing his childhood home with his siblings Neville, Michael and Brenda.
Dennis was the most kind hearted, caring, generous and loving man you could hope to meet, nothing was too much trouble; a wonderful husband and father that devoted his life to looking after his wife and son.
The Palmer family moved from Leicester in 1941 to number 31 Magnet Lane in Bilton Village. Dennis’ brother Michael whom now lives in Australia, has sent a few memories about Dennis from when they were kids. . .
We had a good life as kids. Dennis was a good man and a good brother to me. When Dennis was a teenager he was very keen on these things. Electricity, cars and the Scouts.
He made what was called a Crystal Set, which was a little box with a piece of rock in it which could tune into different radio stations. When we went up to bed he would set it up and tune it in.
One of the things I remember was listening to the Monte Carlo Rally; in those days they had night stages. After the war one of the first Grand Prix to be run was the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Dennis said we'll go to that.
We parked our bicycles nearby and walked into the track and got a good spot on Copse Corner. The racing was great with all the top Continental drivers there; Dennis and I were hooked on it.
We were all in the Scouts and Dennis became one of the leaders. One year we went to Wales. We set up camp on the side of a hill. It was a good size hill and we had a Bowson’s chair that went from the top to the bottom, it was great fun.
We had Ex-Army tents that slept quite a few lads. Well what does it do in Wales, it rains. One day it lashed it down. The water was coming down the hill like a river. It went in the tent at the top and out the door at the bottom.
On leaving school Dennis attended the Technical College and joined BTH in Rugby, as an apprentice electrical engineer.
After qualifying as an electrical engineer Dennis spent a spell in the Royal Horse Guards where he was based at the Windsor and Knightsbridge barracks.
He learnt to drive just about anything with an engine in the Royal Horse Guards, Cars, Trucks, Armoured Cars, Personal Carriers, Tanks etc. but particularly enjoyed working with the horses and exercising them in the Royal Parks.
Dennis discovered a talent for shooting, amassing a good number of medals for shooting competitions. He was also a decent athlete during his time in the Royal Horse Guards, with medals for Pole Vault and Tug of War to name but a few.
Dennis continued to shoot for many years after leaving the Royal Horse Guards, winning many more competition medals.
It was shortly after leaving the Royal Horse Guards when Dennis met Kay at a Dance, they enjoyed many happy times dancing and were married in September 1961, a very happy marriage of 59 years.
After leaving Royal Horse Guards Dennis worked at the Morton Garage as an Electrician, moving on to Alfred Herberts, the machine tool makers in Lutterworth. During his time here Dennis spent many months working away from home at Filton near Bristol installing and fitting out the assembly works and test facilities for building Concorde.
Dennis moved to Staveley Machine Tools in Birmingham where he took on the role of selling and servicing Bosch Thermal Deburring Machines, later working directly for Robert Bosch in this role.
After retiring from Bosch, Dennis spent his last working years as a Director of The Deburring Centre in Wimborne. A company Dennis helped set up with Paddy and Chris and which is still thriving today.
Outside of his working life Dennis had many interests and hobbies. He could turn his hand to most things around the home, inside and out, from simple repairs, to full on refits, no doubt, his electrical and engineering background coming to the fore.
Dennis could often be found in garage working on the car, fitting a radio, tuning it up, if not working on the car repairing something or making something from scratch, he was a cleaver and gifted engineer, equally talented working with metal, wood, plumbing or electronics.
Each time a new caravan came along Dennis would spend countless hours making extra hideaway shelves and cupboards, improving the plumbing or adding an extra gadget here and there.
When Dennis and Kay were first married they bought a Frog Eye Sprite sports car, their pride and joy and during the summer months could often be found at Mallory Park a Race Track in Leicestershire of a Sunday afternoon watching the racing.
Annual trips to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in the heady days of the 60’s were fond memories.
Dennis’s love of sports cars continued as they upgraded to a newer Sprite, a Scimitar GT and after a string of family cars and sports saloons and a Porsche.
Dennis continued to be a fan of motorsports with countless family trips to race meetings over the years, watching motorcycles, sports cars, touring cars, classic events including many long weekend family visits to the Goodwood Festival of a Speed.
He enjoyed Photography and had a good eye for a picture, attending night school and setting up his own dark room in the back bedroom. There have been a good number of photographs on the walls at home taken by Dennis over the years and albums full of photographs of family holidays, adventures and outings.
In June 1966 Dennis and Kay moved to a new Bungalow in Bilton which came with a lovely large garden.
Dennis loved the bungalow and the garden, tending the lovely lawns and spending many back breaking hours working the soil with his rotavator each spring prior to planting vegetables, especially bumper crops of lovely runner beans and tomatoes.
Holidays were always a special event, trips to Cornwall, the Lake District and Switzerland in Dennis and Kay’s early married years followed by family holidays and adventures in their caravan, towing it to all corners of the British Isles and further afield with friends to Germany, Austria and Luxembourg.
Particular favourite destinations were the Cornwall and Devon coast, Lake District, Scottish Highlands and the Norfolk Coast.
We all loved the freedom of a touring caravan holiday, to be able to do just what you want whenever you want, Dennis finally giving up towing at the age of 82.
Then the disease everyone dreads struck, dementia, and with it life began to slow down, but never a man to lay down and give in, he fought the disease as long as he could, but sadly having to spend his last year in Dewar Close Care Home.
The time spent in Dewar Close Care Home suffering from advanced Dementia and away from Kay almost certainly would not be his fondest of memories, but Dennis being Dennis made the best of things and with his kind and caring nature shining through, became a much loved resident amongst all the staff.
Dennis fought bravely to the very end and passed away surrounded by his loved ones.