John Townsend obituary

My brother, John Townsend, who has died aged 82, was a distinguished librarian who made a lasting contribution to Viking studies.

The first child of Marjorie (nee Benson) and Cecil Townsend, John was born in Shanghai, where our father, a captain in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, was stationed. We grew up at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London, where in 1936 our father was made Captain of Invalids, responsible for the welfare of Pensioners.