Ken Swanton

KEN SWANTON

As a club we are in mourning, as our Life President and Founder, Ken Swanton, passed away after a long illness. Ken and I joined together many years ago coaching at the school club at Holy Cross Church of England Primary in Uckfield, when his grandsons Neil and Mark Carter were involved. The school (now disastrously closed) won Sussex trophies and many youngsters represented the county successfully. It was our desire to start a town club so that they had somewhere locally to progress into adult chess. My career prevented my involvement at that time, but Ken supported by his family took on the launch of the Uckfield Chess Club and we entered the Mid Sussex League in competition for the first time in 2006, since when we have won Division 3 once and the Knockout Cup twice.  We will remember him – rest in peace, old friend.  Ken was never one for the limelight, but I have found a scratchy photo from which I am sure many around the county will also remember him. 

Brian Stockham