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Search forTributes to man killed on railway crossing
Thursday, July 24, 2008, 09:08
Friends and colleagues of Julian Gunning, 49, described him as a 'sports-mad' family man.
Mr Gunning had been visiting relatives in Horsham, Sussex, when he died.
He was out walking with his wife Caroline and their daughters Victoria, 12, and Phillipa, eight, when the family's red setter Caspar ran across the railway track.
Mr Gunning died instantly, hit by the train travelling at 75mph, trying to retrieve the dog which it is understood had become trapped between a rail and a wooden walkway.
The tragedy, in which Caspar also died, happened at the Itchingfield crossing near Christ's Hospital railway station on Monday.
Today his brother-in-law Martyn Luckhurst, 45, of Totnes, said the family were 'devastated'.
“It was tragic and a horrible death and very difficult to comprehend.
“He loved his family and they are all in shock. They are just trying to come to terms with what has happened.”
The driver of the 11.11am Southampton to London Victoria service attempted to make an emergency stop, but could not do so in time.
An inquest has been opened and adjourned in Mr Gunning's death.
His family have already released a statement through the British Transport Police saying he was a 'devoted family man'.
It is understood they are being comforted by relatives in Sussex.
Friends and neighbours in Ashburton have echoed their sentiments.
Neighbour and friend Martyn Matthews, 55, and his wife Sandra, 54, were devastated when the news was broken to them by another friend on Tuesday evening.
The couple, who had known him for at least 25 years, enjoyed a convivial relationship with the Gunnings, having them over for dinner once in a while.
Mr Matthews said: “He has been a close friend and adviser for pretty much all the time we have known him.
“He was a super guy. A great family man, devoted to his children and Caroline.
“He was a great sports lover and liked his horses — he used to like watching horse racing and he played football. He was a good sportsman. I used to try to get him to play golf but he refused saying he would become hooked.
“He was a lovely man, extremely helpful in his business and would bend over backwards to help out.”
Mr Gunning, originally from Moretonhampstead, was a well-known face around Ashburton mainly due to his work.
His late father Peter was the parish church warden for a number of years. It is believed his mother Margaret still lives in the area but is staying with relatives elsewhere.
For many years he was a financial adviser with the Prudential but he left in late 1999.
Stephen Horswell is the managing director of Torquay-based Protocol Capital Management for whom Mr Gunning had worked for four years, providing impartial financial advice to clients.
The tragic news was broken to Mr Horswell by Mrs Gunning, who phoned him on Tuesday. The tragedy has rocked the small firm.
Mr Horswell, 44, said: “Julian was a passionate man, both about his work and his family. Caroline and his daughters were the loves of his life and so, ironically, was his dog.
“He had a great interest in family life and, from a personal point of view, this overflowed elsewhere. Our daughter has been quite ill and he was regularly on the phone asking how she was.
“He was very keen on his sport and his family. He was quite a difficult man to describe because he was quite private, but when involved in areas he was passionate about you saw a different side to him.”
Mr Gunning, a keen West Ham United supporter, was also a regular face to the Monday night pub quiz at the Exeter Inn pub, owned by his close friends Pat Billington, her daughter Carol, 46 and Carol's husband Jim, 50.
Ms Billington said: “He was such a good friend, it's been a terrible shock. He used to come in for the quiz night, probably only about once a month, but the biggest part of him I will remember him for is his friendship. I had known him for about 22 years.
“He was a West Ham supporter and many years ago, when they came down to Devon to play Plymouth Argyle, he took me to the match with him.
“He was a lovely man and nothing was ever too much for him. He was always pleasant.”
Police have launched an investigation but are not treating his death as suspicious.
Visit http://lastingtribute.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/tribute/gunning/2860427
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