Gabriel Lancaster MBE
Aeronautical engineer who championed small Jewish communities and created a multi-cultural Kent
THE AERONAUTICAL engineer Gabriel Lancaster, MBE, who has died aged 99, worked on two icons of mid-20th century aviation – the Merlin aero engine (which powered Spitfires, Hurricanes and Lancasters) and the Vulcan bomber. Alongside his innovative engineering he was devoted to his family and the Medway community in which he lived for over 60 years.
He was born in Islington, the son of Maurice and Amelia (Millie) née Schwarz, but his family settled in Nottingham where he met Pearl Lipman, whom he married in 1943 in the Shakespeare Street Synagogue. He won a prestigious apprenticeship at Rolls Royce, where he worked during the war, and was eventually honoured with a life membership in the Rolls Royce Heritage Association.
After the war Gabriel moved to Manchester, where he worked on the Vulcan V bomber before moving with his wife and three young children to Chatham, Kent, where he joined Elliot Brothers, working on aircraft instrumentation.
But Gabriel’s rich talents extended beyond science and engineering to drama, and especially photography, for which he won many prizes and became a judge for Kent Photographic Society.
The family joined the Chatham Memorial Synagogue, a community of about 40 families, which ignited Gabriel’s commitment to the community and Jewish heritage. He served as Secretary, Chairman and Deputy to the Board of Deputies, and ultimately Life President. He also became the local Jewish Chronicle reporter, covering and photographing events at this tiny but thriving community.
Before long he became Ba’al Tekiah, (a shofar blower) developing an unrivalled lung control and purity of tone that enabled him to close Yom Kippur with some of the longest Tekiot Gedolot yet heard in this Victorian gem of a synagogue.
As a champion of the place of small communities in Jewish Britain, he ensured Chatham was one of the first to be taken under the wing of Rev Malcolm Weismann, the Jewish Memorial Council’s Minister to Small Communities. One feature was to introduce an abridged Shabbat morning service in the shul, which had not held a regular Saturday service since the war. Gabriel’s rich baritone ensured these services were appropriately musical as well as not too long.
Gabriel served on the Board of Deputies’ education committee, and, after joining the local World Refugee Year committee in 1956, the Mayor of Chatham asked him to become a governor of twin schools in the town, which led to his appointment as chairman of governors. He also became Chairman of the Medway Racial Equality Council, served on the National Association of Racial Equality Councils, on committees for the Commission for Racial Equality, the Kent SACRE (Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education), and on the National SACRE.
As an extension of his work with SACRE, Gabriel was instrumental in opening the historic synagogue of his community to schools and adult tour groups, sharing insights from Jewish tradition and entertaining visitors with his animated shofar blowing.
His idiosyncratic presentation and his tendency never to talk down to children resulted in hundreds of letters of appreciation.
It was his commitment to community, education and equality, allied to a recognition of the value of different cultures, that drove his efforts to establish a multi-cultural Kent. He gained the trust and respect of other religious and community leaders, resulting in a performance of Indian dance in his honour. He was especially proud of leading Remembrance Day services for Medway Council, in which he channelled his enduring love of poetry and the Ethics of the Fathers (the Torah’s views on ethical responsibility) to inspire younger generations. In 2009, he was awarded the MBE for his community work.
Throughout his life Gabriel was driven to aspire beyond his immediate circumstances. He deeply touched and inspired many with his profound sense of values, love of culture and sense of duty.
Gabriel’s beloved wife of 62 years, Pearl predeceased him in 2005; he is survived by his brother Percy, his children, Joy, Ian, and Leslie, grandchildren, and great grandchildren,
Gabriel Lancaster. Born June 22, 1022. Died July 6, 2021