By James Hughes-Onslow
Charlie Taylor, Chief Inspector of Prisons, gave a tribute to his predecessor Lord Ramsbotham at a thanksgiving service at St Margaret’s Church, Westminster Abbey.
‘Stephen Tumim, the Chief Inspector of Prisons, had retired, a successor was urgently sought and the Home Secretary, Michael Howard, wanted someone who would back his tough stance on crime policies. Who then could be better, it was suggested, than a recently retired general called Rambo?
‘And so, in December 1995, he began in the role that was to redefine the next 25 years of his working life.
‘Within days, he set the tone for his tenure as Chief Inspector, leading his team into Holloway Women’s Prison and then, almost immediately, leading them out again – refusing to continue with the inspection until something was done about the appalling squalor and the shocking treatment of women in the prison.
‘During his tenure, David and his team devised the four tests for measuring the health of a jail – safety, respect, purposeful activity and rehabilitation. Twenty-four years later, these remain the gold standard by which the inspectorate continues to judge prisons.’
General Sir Patrick Sanders, Chief of the General Staff, spoke about Lord Ramsbotham’s military career. Ramsbotham was Commander UK Field Army and Inspector-General of the Territorial Army.
His son James Ramsbotham gave a tribute. Grandson Matthew Ramsbotham read the lesson from Romans 12. Grandsons Christopher and Jonathan Ramsbotham read from Wordsworth’s Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood.
His other son, Richard Ramsbotham, read a poem written by Charles Sharp, a prisoner in HMP Wakefield:
‘Do not condemn me for all that I do. Fundamentally I am the same as you. Try not to censor all my words. It’s only the chatter you’ve often heard.’
The Right Rev Anthony Ball, Canon Rector, gave the bidding: ‘We shall celebrate the skill and dedication shown in a distinguished Army career and the passion for promoting improvements in our penal system.’
Hymns included Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven and He Who Would Valiant Be. Grandchildren Charlotte Walker, Christopher and Jonathan Ramsbotham read lessons.
JAMES HUGHES-ONSLOW
