Obituary
I'm writing on behalf of my dad George who sadly passed away last Friday (10th April).
Funeral Details :
Location : Oxford Crematorium,Bayswater Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 9RZ.
Date and time : Friday 15th May 2026 at 3pm
Wake immediately after funeral service : Studley Wood Golf Club, Straight Mile Rd, Oxford OX33 1BF.
Thanks and regards,
Simon Clempson
Valedictory
Please leave messages by emailing menschairman@ealingrugby.co.uk.
George was a long term member of The Club. Originally a player, he was capped in 1965, with dates added in 1993. After he ceased playing he took on many support roles including Vice President and Club President from 1994 to 1997. He was also a Life Member.
He was a regular at club events and continuted to support our teams and attended Club Dinners including the 150th Sesquicentennial Dinner in 2021.
He was a lovely man. RIP George.
Paul Clarke
Such a lovely man always very supportive towards us youngsters in the u19s.
Barry Cousins
A true gentleman, who always had the interest of the club at heart. It was great to have known you George.
Kevin Hill
So sad to hear that George had passed away. He was quite simply a wonderfully warm and considerate human being and is sorely missed.
When I joined the club back in the late 1970s George ran the Club shop or rather he had the keys to the Kit cupboard and he held court after Tuesday and Thursday night training and he was always on hand on Saturdays too to rescue anyone needing shorts. Or club socks !
George was a very popular appointment to the presidency and helped steer the club through some tough times using his tact and diplomacy and quiet charm he will always be Ealing through and through and epitomised all that is good about our club.
Rest in peace my friend
Les O'Gorman
Sad news. Lovely rugby gent George. Very welcoming when I joined the club. Always enjoyed talking to him after games.
Sincere condolences to his family at this time.
Regards
Nethers
Steve Nethercote
The two things I remember most about George… first his infectious laugh constantly friendly and reassuring to one and all. Secondly and more importantly he was always there. Unassumingly taking on the big jobs in the club and doing them well. It's on the shoulders of people like him that EALING prospered for the hundred plus years before the advent of the professional era. I remember him and salute him. We should say a big thank you to George.
Tim Arnold
As a player throughout the Seventies and early Eighties I got to know George well both on and off the field of play. I played many times with both him and his brother Ken. With the support of his lovely wife Rita he made an immense contribution to the Club over very many years. An effective front row forward and captain he had a great understanding of all aspects of our game, which he later enjoyed as a spectator. He was quietly efficient at every task he undertook. For many years the "club shop" was a notional concept located in George's loft, where some stock may linger yet. To this day I can be seen at the Club wearing items of apparel from the Seventies which l prefer to see as a tribute to the quality and longevity of his purchasing decisions rather than a reflection of my fashion sense marooned in yesteryear. He and Rita regularly holidayed with Bill and Frances Taylor in the Canaries and he supported Bill in running the well regarded Ealing Colts Sevens Tournament for many years, which I was proud to sponsor through my law firm. George sat imperiously in charge in a caravan towed on to the pitch at Berkeley Fields, as the event unfolded without a hitch under his control. To this day I recall it as one of the few such events I attended as player, coach or sponsor which ran like clockwork. But his contribution to our collegiate life stretched much further than those isolated instances I cite, and he was an ever present and much welcomed club member until in recent years cognitive decline robbed us of his fellowship. Rest well, George, thou good and faithful servant of the game we love and of our club
Rhidian Jones
I played my first game for Ealing in March 1961, it was in the Extra A Willie Williams was Captain and George Clempson was in the front row. It was the first of many games I played alongside George over the next ten years or more. He was particularly supportive to me, a young 17 yearold, fresh out of school, so welcome in those days, when there was no Co;ts team and we were thrown in at the deep end with gnarled old codgers full of the wiles of the game. George was a quiet and lovely manwho went out of his way to be a true team player and what fun we had. In later years we would watch Ealing play and enjoy a pint such happy memories.
Mike Jackson
George was a terrific chap.When we were running 9 sides,we always needed "Club refs" and
George was one of them.Without him,we could have been in trouble.He also helped me to produce the old style fixture cards.It is very sad that he is no longer with us.
Paul Monteith
How sad, what a gentleman George was. My last visit to Ealing was 12 years ago, to be welcomed by George with his wonderful smile. Always there willing to sell you a pair of socks if you needed them or not. A proud member of the Front Row Union. Rest in Peace George.
Lyndon Foote
George was one of the few members who played for the club before the Horsenden Hill clubhouse--I think he joined in 1959 & quickly established himself in the front row union. He was a genuine friendly person who welcomed newcomers , & was a great & loyal supporter of the club & after many playing years fully deserved his Life Membership.. I have visions of him as equipment manager looking like a travelling salesman with a huge case going around before matches at Berkeley Fields to ensure players had items like studs ,laces, shorts which they might have forgotten. Perhaps not so well known was that George used to organise a club tennis tournament played on courts at the bottom of Horsenden Hill (By the Ballot Box pub) When I visited the club after leaving the area George always welcomed us with a smile & genuine warmth. A true gentleman & lovely man. R.I.P.
Mike Williams
George was a lovely gent. He always spoke with great enthusiasm and always with a smile. A sad loss.
Declan McGrath
Many years ago, when I joined the club, George made me feel welcome straight away. Always very supportive and kind after every game, I’ll miss him very much. RIP George.
Ricky
