Pat Combes sadly died on 1 July 2025 aged 95. He had been a long-standing member of Chichester Local History Society.
Pat was a proud Cicestrian and came from a long-established Chichester family whose name will ever be associated with the business of D Combes, Corn and Seed merchants. As a serious local historian he amassed at his house Greensleeves in Summersdale, an impressive library of books on Sussex, and on Chichester in particular, and he also collected Chichester ephemera and artefacts.
He was a mine of information about his native city and was always more than happy to share that knowledge with researchers. When one asked he gave willingly, if one hesitated he still gave willingly.
Although Pat was not one of the founders of the Society and did not serve on the committee, Alison, his late wife, was Publicity Officer from 1985 to 1988. Pat was however Hon Auditor for our annual accounts from the start right up until recently. Before Covid he was a regular attendee at our meetings but sadly, as his health deteriorated, he had to give up making the journey to New Park, but still looked forward to receiving and reading the Journal.
A full obituary will appear in the 2026 edition of Chichester History.
Written by Alan Green