Sadly , on 19th. June 2005 the last link with the Club prior to World War II was severed with the death of Allan Beckett at the age of 91.

Allan joined the Club in 1937. A civil engineer specializing in marine undertakings, his work in the army during the war included developing the anchor used to hold the Mulberry Harbour in the 1944 Normandy landings. Later, after the liberation of Holland, he was to be involved in the massive and difficult task of sealing the breaches in the seawalls of Walcheren.

Allan served the Club as Rear-commodore 1961- 70. A man of slow, easy charm, never seemingly perturbed whatever the looming crisis, his views were of value and a calming and stabilising influence. It was a loss to the club when he took the decision to make the Swale rather than Erith his base.

Throughout his many years sailing from the club, Allan owned "Bonita", a gaff yawl built in 1888 by Crossfields at Arnside. This devotion to an elderly boat was in contrast to his willingness to experiment and embrace the new and the different. Thus, with the development of plastics he became the first club member to acquire a GRP dinghy; he was an early user of GRP rather than canvas for the sheathing of decks and, when the time came for a new mainsail , moved from the original gaff rig towards a gunter rig in order to improve performance. This innovative approach continued after his departure to the Swale when, after handing "Bonita" on into the care of the younger members of his family, he chose cupro-nickel for the hull of her replacement.

The Club was fortunate to have been able to number Allan amongst its members for so many years.
Ron Watts.