Life and times of our legend Ralph Howe
Following the death of Kettering General Hospital gardener Ralph Howe after 64 years of devoted service we look back at his life and times.
Ralph first started gardening with his father when he was about ten years old in his garden and allotment in Woodford.
While at Thrapston Secondary Modern School in 1955 he won the prize for the best allotment plot.
When he left school in 1956, aged 14, he worked on a farm briefly but the dust irritated his asthma and a relative suggested that there was job opening up at the hospital.
He was interviewed by KGH’s then head gardener, Percy Chester, and Group Secretary, Mr Dowgill, for the job and started work on May 25, 1959. This was only 10 years after the launch of the NHS in July 1948.
Talking about his early work in 2019 he said: “When I first started there were four of us and as well as maintaining all the flower and shrub beds and cutting the lawns we also had a huge vegetable field which provided all of the fresh vegetables for the hospital patients and staff.
“In those days we would pick the vegetables to order in the morning and deliver them in baskets on the wheelbarrows to the kitchen – where they would be on the patient’s plate at lunchtime.
“At that time we grew all of our own vegetables and had our own orchards for fruit.”
But times changed in 1961 when the hospital rapidly expanded with new wards and departments and the vegetable plots were discontinued.
However Ralph continued to work as part of a team of groundskeepers at the hospital planting flowers, cutting hedges, tending lawns, and looking after trees.
He was awarded an MBE in the 1997 New Year Honours List for his services to healthcare. He received his award from the Queen and was always immensely proud of his achievement.
In 2009 he received an Excellence Award from the hospital for his long-standing dedication to his job. He got a standing ovation when he came out to pick up his award.
Also in that year he was nominated by the local newspaper, at the time the Evening Telegraph, now known as the Northants Telegraph, for an ET Honour for his service to his local community.
At the time he said: “I think the ET Honours are a great way to recognise people who may otherwise be overlooked by the local community.
“I think the award is a nice way for local people to show their appreciation for others who have worked hard in the community.”
On July 5, 2018 – on the NHS’s 70th birthday – Ralph was honoured by the hospital with a park bench and cherry tree in the hospital’s Pocket Park.
A year later he received his hospital long-service certificate for an amazing 60 years of service. He was presented with his award in the hospital’s Prince William Education Centre alongside 43 other hospital staff with more than 30 years of service.
At the time he said: “I feel very honoured and lucky to have a job I love which has helped to keep me in pretty good health for all these years.
“I really enjoy planting flowers and shrubs and then maintaining them for all of our staff and patients to see. At the end of every week, I can always look back and have the satisfaction of knowing that I have made a difference to the hospital environment.
“I also love working outside – whatever the weather - and find the whole thing very rewarding.”
Ralph retired in 2006 but immediately returned to work doing the same job but on a part-time basis. He was at work the day before he had his stroke.
