Arthur Henry HAMMOND

ARTHUR HENRY PERCIVAL HAMMOND 1930-2023 Arthur was born in Battersea (London), England, the only child of Henry and Emily Hammond. His mother died when he was very young, so he was partly raised by his paternal grandmother, Alice, whom he adored. After a childhood that included being evacuated from London to the English countryside at the start of the Second World War, he served in the British Army and was stationed in England and Germany. In 1954, he graduated from King's College with a degree in English Language and Letters. He ultimately settled in Toronto where he sold books door to door, told fortunes in tea rooms and eventually joined the book world, working first at Macmillan and then at McClelland & Stewart. After marriage to Mary Anne Macdonald, and moving to Montreal in the 1960s, he learned French and became a writer, producer and director at the National Film Board of Canada. During his 22-year career at the NFB, he also held the roles of Executive Producer and Director of English Programming. It was in Montreal that his much loved and loving daughter, Alice, was born. He returned to Toronto in the late 1970s. After retiring from the NFB, he spent many happy years exhaustively researching and writing about life in Québec City in the year 1847. Arthur was a great storyteller and regaled his friends and family with historical snippets on a wide variety of topics and minutiae related to 1847. He was a lover of literature, opera, sculpture, painting and music. He liked nothing more than being out in nature admiring the trees and birds. He was an avid walker, crisscrossing Toronto on a daily basis exploring the city he loved. Arthur had a great sense of social responsibility and was immensely public spirited. He never wavered in his life-long dedication to the CCF and the NDP. Additionally, he volunteered for and supported a variety of other charitable organizations, including the Nature Conservancy of Canada and Amnesty International, where he met his partner of over 33 years, Susan Martin. Over his lifetime, Arthur collected an eclectic group of friends who stuck with him for decades. He was many things to many people: a doting father, a devoted husband and partner, a cherished uncle, a loyal friend, a trusted confidante, and a perpetual source of advice, wisdom and comfort to children and adults alike. In the most challenging of times Arthur retained his great sense of humour, lively spirit and exceptional resilience. Arthur died peacefully after a short illness on March 28, 2023. We thank Chayo Moreno, Arthur's caregiver, for all of her support over the years.