Paul Deakin RIP · AditNow Community

Mine exploration, photographs and mining history for mine explorers, industrial archaeologists, researchers and historians

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

pwhole
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

11 years ago

Paul Deakin sadly passed away in his sleep last night after a long illness. He probably did more documentation of the Derbyshire underground than anyone else alive, and his photographs of mines especially are an invaluable archive, especially of sites that are no longer accessible. His superb surveys for many sites are also still used.

A real loss to the underground community 😞

Wanna join the discussion?! Login to your AditNow Community forum account or Register a new forum account

royfellows
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

11 years ago

Oh no!
This makes me very sad.

My avatar is a poor likeness.

agricola
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

11 years ago

I like many others on this site who knew Paul will be very sad at this news.

I feel very privileged to have spent many hours with Paul in caves in South Wales and Derbyshire, and mines all over the UK, I have like many assisted in the taking and appearing in countless of his 'snaps'.

IMHO the legend that was Paul will live long. If there was a hall of fame, for cavers, mine explorers, and photographers, Paul would be a member of each. So sad ...

If it can't be grown it has to be mined.

kroca
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

11 years ago

Very sad news indeed, you will be missed Paul R I P .

exspelio
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

11 years ago

Please let us know when details of the goodbye ceremony are available, I'd like to see the old b*gger off in true style!.

Always remember, nature is in charge, get it wrong and it is you who suffers!.

Roy Morton
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

11 years ago

RIP Paul, a great loss to underground photography and the underground community.
I hope they have some good kit waiting for him on the other side.

"You Chinese think of everything!"
"But I''m not Chinese!"
"Then you must have forgotten something!"

AR
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

11 years ago

He'll be sadly missed, I last saw him in June at the official opening of the Ecton Engine house. He did the underground photos for John Barnatt's big survey project there, I helped on one of the photo trips carting ammo boxes full of hammerhead flashes about, - quite an experience doing long shots down Salts Level with several of us holdign the guns....

Follow the horses, Johnny my laddie, follow the horses canny lad-oh!

Tezarchaeon
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

11 years ago

Sad to hear that. I hope something can be done to digitise his archives. He had some fantastic unpublished photographs of the Cornish modern mines from the 80s.

AR
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

11 years ago

Paul had already digitised a significant chunk of his collection (in excess of 30,000 images, so I'm told!) and without wanting to say too much on a public forum at this point in time, had been making arrangements for the permanent preservation of his photo archive.

Follow the horses, Johnny my laddie, follow the horses canny lad-oh!

Moorebooks
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

11 years ago

#10

I'm really very sorry to hear of this, I know how poorly he had been but still always bounced back after receiving treatment and never stopped being involved and exploring

Goodbye old friend

darkmole
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

11 years ago

#11

Pauls funeral will be on Wednesday the 17th of September
at 1.20pm Bradwell Crematorium, Stoke on Trent ST5 8LE
No flowers please and donations will go to Prostate Cancer Care.

Dark Mole

bthomas
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

10 years ago

#12

We at SUSS kept bumping into Eldon in the 1960's and Paul was always shiningly bright and upbeat. We never carried equipment for him [our Jeff Phillips carried tanks for famous divers and I carried a butty box for myself and Miff who were proto-biospeleologists].

God rest his soul and may his archive burn fiercely throughout the mining and caving fraternity.

And what a caver Paul was! He thought nothing of bottoming PYG and back in 4 hours, with George Cooper, Mr Gill and other Eldon lights.

Brian Thomas

Coggy
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

10 years ago

#13

There was an excellent centre pages spread with some great photos in Descent magazine.

if eight out of ten cats all prefer Whiskas
Do the other two prefer Lesley Judd ?