Owen John Oliver

Born 13 Sept 1925, Glinton, Northamptonshire.  Died 17 May 2014, Rochester, Kent 

Owen John was born the second son of Christopher and Muriel Oliver. His father, Christopher Pix Oliver was involved in torpedo design in the Navy in the first world war and then ran the Oliver Brother’s Garage in Glinton, a village near Peterborough on the fertile fenlands of eastern England.  Owen, as he was known at home, or John as he was known elsewhere, was born without hands and had a club foot. He became completely independent using ingenuity, his skilled left foot and his two short arms. He was not disabled, but differently-abled and was fiercely independent. 

John went to Art School and became an artist and teacher. Later he worked as a chef, a horticulturist, and a Tugman. He sailed solo, and with others, and drove a small van. For the last fifty years of his long life, he lived and worked on the river Medway where he saved several people from drowning and pulled a few dead bodies out of the river as well.

From the mid-1950s John lived on a variety of sailing boats, workboats and tugs called Hobbit. John felt strong associations with JRR Tolkien’s famous creation, and in many ways, he was rather like a hobbit, being a courageous small person with a barefoot, who smoked and enjoyed people’s company.   

He inherited from his father and grandfather a passion for steam engines and helped promote and preserve Thames Sailing Barges, bawleys, steam tugs, and the paddle steamer Medway Queen.   

John was well-read and respected as a skilled waterman. Some watermen called him ‘Einstein’ because of his knowledge, and others called him ‘Johnny no hands,’ to distinguish him from all the other Johns working on the river.

He had many men and women friends who remember him as an inspiration, and with admiration, sometimes tinged with annoyance at his stubbornness, but they want his unique story to be told. 

Frances has written about her life and John’s with humour, sensitivity, and honesty.