Martin Pool

Although no direct link has been proved I was born in 1943 at the turning point of the war! I grew up and was educated in Derbyshire taking my A levels at seventeen at Herbert Strutt School, Belper. Academia was not for me and I considered playing professional golf but decided flying sounded easier and a more reliable way of earning a living. I graduated as a commercial pilot at nineteen to become the youngest pilot in BEA, soon to become British Airways. My thirty years with the company included short and long haul, freight, schedule and charter work. I flew politicians, presidents & royal families. Lots of incidents some good some bad but one in particular I remember, is of a little boy of about eight asking if we had to be very brave to fly. I asked him why he thought that and the reply was well firstly he said you have to fly through thunderstorms and secondly the stewardesses might kiss you! Towards the end of my career I was lucky enough to spend a lot of time in Geneva which allowed me to indulge another passion, rock and ice climbing. Eventually I took the opportunity to take part in the British 1994 Everest Expedition. Not a great personal triumph because I suffered from pulmonary oedema but we did put two guys on the top and returned without any serious injuries. I only started playing bridge seriously when my late wife Pauline became interested which was in our thirties. We were most disconcerted when we found everyone else playing suit preference signals as we thought we had invented them ourselves. We were modestly successful in Sussex and thoroughly enjoyed our expeditions to Europe where we found screens most relaxing. We particularly enjoyed the Jersey Congress each year as Pauline had lived there previously and at various times we were fortunate enough to win both the teams and pairs. I joined the Sussex committee after I retired from work and became chairman after Tom Bradley’s retirement. I am currently the Sussex President, which I consider a great honour, following our only two other Presidents Freddie North and Tom Bradley. I am a member of the EBU Laws and Ethics Committee, having been chairman from 2003 to 2008 and also a board member with responsibilities for TD development and county and club constitutions. The most precious and fulfilling part of my life is my family. My wife Pauline and I will have been married ten years this year. We are blessed with seven grandchildren, four of whom attend our local school where I teach bridge! There is hope for the future. Silver Award Citation - 2016 Has been recommended by his county (Sussex). He is their current President and has been involved at committee level for many years. Martin is a current member and past Chairman of the EBU Laws & Ethics Committee. He was elected to the EBU Board in 2005 and served for 5 years until 2010. He was the EBU consultant on Club and county constitutions for a number of years. He has conducted a number of prosecutions in disciplinary cases on behalf of the EBU.