John Edgar “Hamed” Chapman (1946-2023)
On the dawn of Friday 2 Ramadan, March 24, Hamed Chapman passed from this worldly plane at the age of 76. His wife, four children, and eight exuberant grandchildren mourn the loss of a wonderful man.
Passionate about politics, articulate, intelligent and humble, he lives on through his words in our hearts and minds and through those whose lives he touched through his words and in his personal and family life. Fondly known as Papa to his fine children, but of all the names and titles, grandpapa was Hamed’s favourite.
Hamed was born John Edgar Chapman in 1946 in Sedgefield, County Durham to Mary, who was a baker, and Henry worked in the RAF. He was the second child after his brother, Fredrick, who was four years his senior. He spent his childhood in the northeast of England New Silksworth of Sunderland.
In September 1949, tragedy struck when Henry’s life was cut short during an air display for the Battle for Britain. Henry was killed in a fatal accident on a Wellington bomber, where parachute cords were trapped in the aircraft’s elevator, preventing them from working properly.
Henry Chapman and his five fellow crew members met their Maker as the plane nose-dived into the ground.
Fortunately, a kind, generous, and caring man, Victor Bellas, became stepfather to Hamed, raising him and his brother Fred as his own. In New Silksworth, Hamed attended St Leonards Primary School.
As he excelled in his education at his primary school, aged 11, Mr Conroy, headmaster of St Leonards recommended Hamed be sent to St Francis RC Grammar School in Hartlepool.
Due to the crash that claimed his father’s life, St Francis School covered the entire expense of his tuition. He studies there until 1963, where it was discovered he had a mind for numbers, and English as well as a flare for art.
He was a also talented chess player, a skill he harnessed online with his grandsons during the lockdown. At 17, he moved to London, returning after a year of working for a company called Olympia Business Machines. But after one year, he went back to London to stay and met his wife, Heshmat, when he embraced Islam and chose the name, Hamed.
He obtained a degree in education, specialising in history and sociology, at Hertfordshire University. He went on to pursue journalism, and his passion for politics was growing.
His decades-long writing and journalism career began at the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) headquarters in London. He later relocated to Iran and resided there for a while, where he spent two years working for the Tehran Times. He returned to London and continued to work for IRNA. Hamed started contributing to The Muslim News in 1996, first on an ad hoc and then regularly.
“Sincere Sunderland FC supporter, Hamed attended many Sunderland AFC football matches home and away all over England. In 1973, he hosted dozens of football fans from New Silksworth in his flat in Hanger Lane,
London, when Sunderland won the FA Cup at Wembley. As well as football and politics, he loved music and had a very eclectic taste. He especially enjoyed jazz.
He was a lifelong friend for over 70 years to his school friends who remember him fondly and is greatly missed,” said Terry McGeever, a dear friend and retired primary school deputy and acting headmaster deputy. Hamed was a Sunderland supporter since he was seven.
“He was the kindest of men and a dear friend. I don’t remember a time when we didn’t know each other, and I shall never forget him,” said George Grummet, a lifelong friend since the age of four.
Hamed leaves behind his wife, Heshmat, his brother, Victor Bellas, and his children, Reza, Leila, Masoumeh and Zahra.
Please donate generously and join us to raise money for Medical Aid in loving memory of Hamed so that his legacy, as he wrote in a letter, is more positive than negative. Leila Gardiner
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