CHRISTOPHER JAMES HENDERSON- HAMILTON
8 September 1944 – 14 December 2025
Chris enjoyed many very different pursuits and hobbies including track and field athletics; navigating in car rallies; and Morris Dancing ! He grew up with plenty of music contacts due to his family church connections and also being part of a pop music group. Another life-long interest and active hobby was gardening and he achieved great success at this.
Chris joined BABS in the summer or 2013 having become a founder member of a new Club in Ipswich – the VIP’s – under the Directorship of Gaynor Schofield, wife of Brian who has a longstanding, and multi-gold medal winning association with barbershop singing both in Quartets and Choruses. Chris attended a six-week Learn to Sing Course which led to his initial commitment to this hobby.
Having sung with the VIP’s for several years he quickly demonstrated his ability as an accomplished Bass singer and was invited to join the newly formed local Fever Pitch Quartet in 2018 as a founder member where he sang with Bob Sangwell, Tenor; Phil Kemp, Lead; and Ben Topliss Baritone. The Quartet remained active on long-distance chat and zoom sessions throughout the Covid pandemic. This association continued even after Chris and family moved to Worcestershire, which involved regular long-distance travel to monthly rehearsals in Suffolk. The Quartet performed many local singouts including variety shows, Women’s Institute meetings and often busking after rehearsals in and around Stowmarket. Quite apart from his singing contributions in the Chorus and Quartet, Chris became Secretary to the Ipswich Club, a position he held until the house move.
Chris and his wife Jennifer moved to live near Pershore in Worcestershire and to be near to their son and his young family which led to him then joining the local Club, Vale Harmony. It was from that chorus Chris then joined Anvil Chorus as a joint member in the early months of 2025 at which point the chorus had suffered two totally unexpected deaths in the Bass section including the Section Leader, so his contribution at that stage immediately before what proved to be his final Convention in Bournemouth was critically important in improving our performance up to eleventh place from nineteenth previously.
He was also under consideration to join Classmates Quartet following the ‘retirement’ of George Badland. As he had shown in Suffolk and Worcestershire, Chris had considerable ability to learn songs very quickly and accurately, qualities admired by choruses and quartets over the years. Sadly with developing ill-health in 2024 and 2025 Chris was finding it increasingly difficult to sing and his barbershop commitments unfortunately came to an end when given a terminal illness diagnosis in the summer of 2025 – not long after Convention. He therefore withdrew from his singing and was undergoing care and treatment largely at home until the end stage of his illness required admission to hospice care. Members of his Quartet and Choruses visited during this time and he was always especially appreciative of their support for him.
At the funeral service there was a substantial representation from Ipswich, Pershore and Anvil Chorus along with the members of Fever pitch all of whom joined together in singing the Irish Blessing at the conclusion of the service.
Chris was a gentle, caring and committed contributor to his hobby and will be sorely missed by all those who had the pleasure of singing with him. Our condolences go to his widow Jennifer, his son, daughter-in-law and their young family.
Henry Foster 03/02/2026
