Alan Cogdell

[Phil P]

It was with great shock and sadness to hear of the passing of Alan Cogdell MVT's National Treasurer. Alan passed away on Monday.

 

Alan was a true gentleman and an irreplaceable asset to the Military Vehicle Trust. His guiding hand in all things insurance and finance was always done in his own quiet relaxed manner.

 

Our thoughts go out to his wife Moira and family at this sad time.

 

RIP Alan.

 

On behalf of all the members of the Birmingham & West Milands Area MVT.

 

Phil Palmer

 

Chairman B&WMA.

[fv1609]

Sorry to hear that he has done a lot for MVT members not just in recent years as Treasurer but Alan was one of the first people to realise the insurance requirements of MV owners needed to be catered for specifically.

[Big Al]

Alan was a very nice man and did alot for the MVT he will be sadly missed R.I.P

Al

[chevpol]

R.I.P. thoughts to his family

 

Mark

[Papav66]

Yes very sad, a real gent. He had been very supportive in helping us with the National show for this year.

[Big ray]

Very,very sad news Alan was a gentleman of the highest order, he worked very hard for the MVT and its members. Our condolences go to his wife Moira, his family and the MVT C-o-M who worked very closely with Alan and must feel this loss very keenly. R.I.P.

[Tony Lawrence]

My condolences to his family and the committeeand members of the MVT from the IMPS Board and members.

I well remember his help in the early days of my owning a jeepin getting insurance sorted out as well as his support with our early shows. Hesponsored the AC Miles trophy for Best Artillery and I still have an aerialphoto of a show from the mid-1990’s that he gave me as a souvenir/thank-you forallowing him to be there – it should have been the other way round as in thosedays we needed all the support that we could get.

I think that I can say without disagreement that our hobby wouldnot have progressed over the years without his enthusiastic input and as Imentioned earlier, his help in establishing an insurance regime that was theforerunner of all the various schemes now in existence was one of the rocksupon which our hobby has grown. Somebody who was sympathetic to our ‘peculiar’vehicles was essential and Alan was that person.

He will be missed.

Tony Lawrence

(IMPS Chairman)

[Marmite!!]

Please pass on our condolences to his family on behalf of HMVF & all our members.

[M5Clive]

My first contact with Alan was due to unpleasant circumstances when I had a car drive underneath my GMC CCKW at full speed as I was turning into a minor road junction - I guess I was around 18 or 19 with limited experience of driving big trucks (which you could in those days totally legally) and the police took one look at the situation and threw the book at me.

 

I was insured with AC Miles (which not everyone knows that the AC in fact stood for Alan Cogdell) and I was swiftly on the phone to tell them the bad news. Alan became my point of contact and calmly reassured this teenager that in fact, I had right on my side and to stand up and face them head on. Alan also took the trouble to drive from his home in North London to the site of the accident in Wiltshire to size up the situation for himself - How many MD's do that on behalf of their clients?

 

After over 10 months of anxiety, come the big day in court and with my best suit just collected from the dry cleaner, I get a phone call from the Clerk of the Court at 10.30am to tell me that the police/CPS have dropped the case against me just 2.5 hours before the hearing! I was overjoyed but Alan was irritated as he firmly felt that their was no case to answer. Alan had taught me a lesson in life about not being fearful of standing up for what you believed in - no matter how big the opposition.

 

In later years after our move up to Suffolk, I realised that Alan was on the verge of retiring and had sold the AC Miles business to Roadsure - A sad day indeed, especially for all those clients who had been looked after so well under Alan's personal care. Alan had haled from Suffolk in his youth so it was a natural move to return to his old stamping ground of East Anglia. Moira and Alan bought an old converted stable block in Gislingham and Alan set about putting his own stamp upon the property as he could turn his hand to many trades when the occasion demanded. In more recent years they moved to Stowmarket but could not settle in the hustle and bustle of a modern estate house so returned to a country cottage in the village of Mellis, just a couple of miles from their former village of Gislingham, where they still had many friends and where Alan was very active in the organisation of the annual fete, which Suffolk MVT supported upon his request on previous occasions over the years.

 

Alan lived but a mile from me here in Mid-Suffolk and on occasions I shared the journey to MVT Council of Management meetings at Gaydon with him. The conversation was always entertaining and on those lengthy car journey's, I got to know more about Alan and his life stories. He claimed that when he turned 70 he was going to retire from the post of MVT Treasurer and hand the reigns onto a new recruit, but like so many volunteers, he carried on doing what he enjoyed for the benefit of the Trust and its members until the end.

 

I think my strongest memory of Alan was at an MVT AGM at Bletchley Park in the mid 1990's when he was still at the helm of 'AC Miles' and before joining with the MVT Council of Management. He was doing a presentation regarding insuring vintage military vehicles and how hard he had fought with the big brokers to keep premiums low against overwhelming odds and rising inflation. A somewhat outspoken and longstanding member of the Trust that many people will know from Retford in Nottinghamshire called Bob Fleming raised-up from the ranks and shouted at Alan "I don't know how you managed to keep your premiums so low - your clearly not an insurance salesman, your a bloody magician!" With a great roar of laugher from the audience, a rapturous applause followed and Alan stepped down from the podium beaming from ear to ear!

 

Like so many reading these posts, I was saddened by the news earlier this week of Alan's untimely passing and my condolences go out to his wife and family at this time.

 

Clive Stevens, Suffolk Area Treasurer, MVT

[Phil P]

I have just received the funeral arrangements for Alans funeral.

 

St Mary the Virgin Church,

Gislingham,

Suffolk

IP23 8HP

 

Monday 2nd April at 2-00pm. Afterwards at the village hall.

 

Flowers or donations to:

 

Susan Whymark Funeral Service Ltd.

The Old Stables,

Chestnut Farm,

Langton Green,

EYE,

Suffolk.

 

IP23 7HL.

 

Donations will be divided between the two wards where Alan was treated at the Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital.

 

 

 

Clive.

 

That was a brilliant posting. Few people perhaps realise what an influence Alan was not only on MV insurance but other areas of classic vehicle insurance. Not a hard act to follow but an impossible one!

 

Phil Palmer