John A. Felton

John Felton was born in Paris in 1922 –  where his father worked for a British bank.
After 4 years the family were posted to Menton.
John had an idyllic childhood on the French Riveria. Attending a French school he became fluent in the language.
His father unfortunately died when John was 7 – he had been gassed in 1914-18 war. The family returned to England when John was 11, he attended Bedford Modern School.
John had a varied career which always used his talent with figures. A bank executive and statistician, he then took the opportunity to semi-retire in his 40’s and acquired a traditional tobacconist and confectionery business in Hastings.
This town was chosen primarily for its world renowned chess club. With more free time he was able to pursue his passion for the game. He was a club member for over 50 years and was elected an Honorary Life Member. He was modest about his chess achievements which included competing yearly in the international Hastings Chess Congress. His real forte was in correspondence chess where he attained a high ranking at his peak.’

Est. 1882