MRS. ELIZABETH LAUGHTON-MOORE

“QUILMARK IRISH SETTERS”

1931-2011 / OBITUARY

Irish setter breeders and exhibitors will be sorry to learn of Liz’s death on December 24^th 2011 at the age of 80 years.

“Liz” who was living in Hindhead at the time of her death, had previously lived in Fishbourne near Chichester not too far from the late Sheilagh Thomas (Tamarisk) who sadly died in 2010. I know they were in contact for many years.

Many in the South East area knew Liz when she and her family lived south of Dorking in Surrey. I served with her in the 1970/80’s on the south east ISBC committee.

Her fondness and devotion to Irish setters goes back many years, back to the 1940’s and 1950’s when as Miss Cook she showed and had success in the show ring and in obedience. She had stock from Gilbert and Jean Leighton-Boyce and exhibited and made up Sh. Ch. Giselle of Oosh at Crufts in 1961 under the illustrious Mrs. Florrie Nagle (Sulhamstead). Giselle was by Sh. Ch. Hartsbourne O’Hara ex Paprika of Oosh, a grand daughter of Ch. Hartsbourne Popsy. By the time Giselle was born in January 1955 Liz was married and became Mrs. Laughton-Moore. She raised a family but retained her interest in Setters. In 1976 she bought a bitch from Peg Stokes by Sh. Ch. Wendover Racketeer ex Sh. Ch. Marrona Meriel who did a bit of winning and was litter sister to our own Marrona Midwinter. In 1981 she made up Sh.Ch. Eliza Doolittle of Quilmark (whelped in 1977) – a bitch who on her maternal lines descended from “Giselle” via Ch. Brackenfield Hartsbourne Bronze, Boisdale, Raycroft and her own Quilmark Doctor Doolittle lines – which no doubt gave her great satisfaction. Eliza won the bitch CC, gundog group and Reserve Best in Show at Bath in 1980.

She awarded CC’s in Irish setters and in fact gave our own Sh.Ch. Reddins Ferdinand the first of his 21 CC’s at Leeds in 1987.

Liz was a lady of many talents and accomplishments not least being her earlier career as a “Bluebell Dancer” at the world renowned “Paris Lido”. A top spot for glamorous night life in the centre of the French capital

She had a fine voice and I well recall attending Gilbert Leighton-Boyce’s memorial service held in a “Wren” church close to the Tower of London, held some 6 months or so after his death as a celebration of his life. It was a fine summer’s day, but as luck would have it London Transport was staging a strike which paralysed all tubes and buses in the city of London on the day. I know I got there via a Thames river bus from the “Embankment” to “The Tower”. Part of the service involved a solo performance of a passage from Elgar’s “Dream of Gerontius”. It was a beautiful voice coming from behind the congregation up in the organ loft. I was amazed to hear afterwards it was “Liz” who was the soloist…and I was impressed she was so good. She had also sung as a “torch singer” at some of the top London hotels and cocktail lounges in her time, performing American show classics by Cole Porter, Irvine Berlin and the like. All quite a long way removed from her showing and judging Irish setters.

I just thought some of this background of parts of her life would interest fellow exhibitors who may not have known she was a lady of many parts.

I had known that Liz had been in poor health for the last couple of years and indeed purely coincidentally, and for no apparent reason, had sent her a post card just after Christmas. Last week we received a telephone call from Ann Moon of the “Redsheen” kennels, to tell us the sad news that Liz had died on Christmas Eve. The funeral has now taken place and we extend our sincere condolences to her family at this sad time

JAMES S. F. SMITH