Ben Haines

Oh my God. My condolences. Just a second ago I commented his posting. I have read his informative answers on two different boards, and admired his spirit. Search, and you will find his great Estonia report.

Oh my goodness, what a shock. I am so very sorry for your loss and for your family. As a Londoner, I deferred to Ben in his advice on London - in fact, I frequently checked and printed his postings more than anyone else's on London, mostly for myself! He is the expert. And he will be very sadly missed.

My sincerest condolences.

Though I only know of Ben Haines through his posts on this and the Lonely Planet message board, your uncle came across as an extremely kind, polite and helpful gentleman.

He will be greatly missed.

My sincere condolences, although my only contact with your generous, extremely helpful uncle has been through this board.

I am surprised my how deeply saddened I am, and hope that someone more computer literate than myself can organize his well received participation for you to have as a keepsake.

Your uncle is one of the most appreciated and respected persons here, and I am sure this thread will become one of the longest .

You can be proud of him for his constant enthusiasm he shared with us on all his travels.

May he rest in peace and be in all our memories.

My thoughts are with you. Thank you so much for posting.

Certainly no apologies are needed.

In fact, we are grateful that you have taken the time and effort to notify us.

I think you must have realized how highly regarded he is here and that we appreciate more than you know your thoughtfulness in taking the time to post.

Thank you so much for letting us know about your uncle's death. I feel privileged to have been able to read the literate, informed advice he gave to strangers and the tales of the wanderings of his adventurous spirit. I am picturing him on his bicycle in the streets of Paris.

Bye Ben, we will miss you.

Ben Haines was a shining beacon on the Lonely Planet site, which he showed magnificent patience and consideration for even the most ignorant posters. I didn't see him as much here, but I'm sure that he was appreciated just as much.

My deepest condolences. He will be sorely missed.

One of Ben's last postings was on March 5, informing us about gardens in Britain. A beautiful thread.

Could you have meant that Ben passed away on 27 March?

Yes - my error - I meant March, not February. Thank you all for your kind words.

He will be very much missed.
I specially liked his Week of Walks in London
http://www.victorianresearch.org/haineswalks.html

I'm so sorry for your loss. He was a true gentleman & a wealth of information. He will be missed.

I am so sorry. He was such a sweet and helpful person. His presence on this board will be sorely missed.

This is very sad news. His wise and cultured advice on the more civilised aspects of European life will be greatly missed.

He was a lovely gentleman. I'll miss him.

Dear Tim Haines,

Thank you for sharing this very sad news that your uncle Mr. Ben Haines has died. We can all learn a lesson from his wonderful outlook on life and his kindness and respect to others. He will be greatly missed.

Sandy

I tried to search his Estonia trip report which I mentioned but sadly I cannot find it. He had problems with his leg, had drinks with the ambassador of Finland, participated in some beer festival, made wonderful and funny observations...

Oh my God, that's such a shock. I don't think I'd be out of turn by saying that Ben was the most respected poster on this site. My sincere condolences.

Dear Tim, thank you for letting us know your uncle passed away. His contribution here was vast and he will be missed. Always a gentleman, a wealth of information, and an important part of our community here. My thoughts are with your famiy.

Tim,

I am so sorry for your loss.

Your uncle was a gentleman and a very intelligent and knowledgeable person. He helped me in more than one ocassion.

Please accept my condolences

Mr. Haines was a gentleman who shared his knowledge and love of London with all of us. He will be missed as much for his gentle, polite manner as for the helpfulness of his information.

Tim,

I add my condolences to everyone else's -- this site will be the poorer for losing Ben Haines. I always enjoyed seeing his posts and seeing his gentle and wise soul through his words.

My thoughts and prayers are with your family.

s

This is truly sad news. Ben was surely the most courteous of the regular British posters - always keen to help, and never quick to judge. A fountain of knowledge too.

He will be much missed, by those who he helped and by those who will not now get that help.

My condolences to his family

David

I add my condolences.
His information about London was invaluable.
You may well be surprised at the numbers attending the memorial service.

Truly one of the greats on this board. His attention to specific detailed timetables for the best train routes for people were very much appreciated. His insight into the cultural activities available were invaluable. Always a gentleman. I wish I could have met him. He will be missed.

Thank you for letting us know.
Your uncle was an enormously valued contributer here at Fodors. May he rest in peace...

My husband and I owe a marvelous friendship to him, all because he recommended Southwark Cathedral to us [via Sheila] as a good church to attend whilst in London.

Thank you Ben!

What a loss! He was also a regular poster on the newsgroup rec.travel.europe before it was overtaken by spammers. At one point he had some webpages on London that were loaded with helpful information.

He will be missed.

I have e-mailed the OP re the funeral arrangements as I will be in the UK next month.

I am hoping to pay my respects in person.

I am truly sorry to hear about your uncle, a courteous poster with an infectious enthusisam for train travel and for his home city. I will always be grateful to him for his promotion of the various lecture series that one can attend in London. I regret very much not being able to attend his memorial service.

Oh no. Tim, My condolences too for your family and for you. What a gracious man your uncle was. I know I benefited often from his advice here as well as on the Lonely Planet forum, as did so many, many others. He inspired people to not only follow his gentle example, but to be more adventurous, to experience new places. He was always the height of good manners and generosity and will be missed here greatly.

With my respect.

What terribly sad news. Your Uncle was a wonderful man, a real asset to this forum and helped hundreds if not thousands of people make their visits to London, the UK and Europe easier and more cultured. He was the very essence of a gentle man. He will be sorely missed. Please accept my condolences to you and your family.

Being a Haines myself (but on the other side of the pond), I always wondered about Ben and how we might be related. It always tickled me to see him use his real name in posts (in this world of web aliases - though I too have fallen victim to the anonymity) He was a wonderful source of knowledge which I know I will miss.

Thank you so much for letting us know. It was so thoughful.

I am so sorry for your family's loss. He will be missed--I enjoyed reading his posts.

Does anyone have a picture of Mr Haines that they could send me at shrimp56@hotmail.com to put on the "fodorite" page? http://fodorite.fisherfowler.net/

I'm so sorry to hear about Ben's passing. Whenever I saw his name on a post, I knew I was getting correct information, and usually learning something new. He has helped so many travellers have a more enjoyable, more memorable holiday by sharing his knowledge. Now we all have another angel on our shoulders to guide us on our way. Peace, Robyn

I'll remember Mr. Haines by the way he often ended his posts...

'Welcome to my city'

I'm very sorry to hear of his passing. There will be a void here.

I send my sincere condolences to you and your family, Tim.

Your uncle was the quintessential gentleman. He set a standard of posting on Fodors and other travel sites that the rest of us can strive for.

He will live on in our memories.

Judy

I'm so sorry. Yes, truly, his kindness and knowledge will be missed.

I first "met" Ben on the lonely planet and later here where he was usally.
He was above all, a guiding light and a GENTLEman.

Oh my, that makes me sad. You just knew he was a first class gentleman from his posts. He was always so kind. I will miss him.

Dear Tim,

I'm so sorry to hear this news. Your uncle Ben was such a helpful person and full of excellent information and advice. I've read his posts on Fodor's for many years and will always remember him fondly.

Such a sad shock - his helpfulness was an example to us all.

I am so sorry.

Your uncle's notes were always kind, thoughtful, thorough...and provided a wealth of helpful information. He has left us quite a legacy!

When I saw the title my heart just sank. So very sorry to hear this sad news. Thank you Tim, for letting us know.

Once long ago your Uncle posted about having pedaled to a police station across town from where he lived to check on some detail for a poster who was concerned about the location of a B&B. Maybe not a big deal in the scheme of things - but an example of the enormous help he gave one and all.

Ben and I exchanged e-mails ocassionally over the years and I will miss him.

I have always known that I could never "pay back" all that I owed to Ben, for the inspiration, kindness and so much more... that he provided here.

Now, more than ever, I have a lot of "paying forward" to do.

Best wishes,

Rex

Dear Tim Haines,
I've just been alerted to this thread, and felt I had to return to Fodors after a long while to post my condolences.
Oh, my, this news makes me sad. I never had the pleasure of meeting Mr Haines, but we'd corresponded offline a few times years ago when I needed some information, and he was consistently helpful, and a gentleman. I had read he'd been having health problems during recent years. I know he liked to bicycle and he knew seemingly everything there was to know about Eastern Europe and his own London. The travel-loving community has lost a great resource, and friend.Sincere sympathies to you and your family.
Elaine L
New York City

I too will miss the help provided by Ben. What a wonderful man to help complete strangers.

Does anyone know more about Ben? I'd be interested in hearing more about his background. All I know is that he was a Londoner who enjoyed train travel, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe.

It is a loss.

Rest in peace, Ben, and thank you for your irreplaceable good will and your immense depth of knowledge.

I add my sincere condolences to everyone else's. A sad loss indeed ...

Steve

Ben Haines was a true gentleman in all respects. Always available to help in a kindly manner, he made many journeys more than trips. Thanks, Gentle Ben.

Cheers,

Jinx Hoover

Ben Haines was such an eternal fountain of knowledge. I always tried figuring out whether he had a giant timetable of all trains next to him, or if he really just contained that information himself. And his disc on pubs is a real gem.
Ben, we will miss you. Wherever you're headed, I know you're traveling FIRST CLASS.

A true gentleman and always non-judgmental and so polite - just lots of helpful information and we will miss Big Ben.

Just curious - i wonder how old Ben was?

Rest in peace Mr. Haines, we shall miss you.

Very sad news.
His knowledge was much appreciated.
He will be missed by so many.
Sincerest condolences to you and your family.

I'm so sorry to hear this, Tim. My condolences to your family on your loss.

Ben was such a helpful and knowledgeable contributor on this forum. He will be greatly missed.

I'm so very sorry for your loss.

I am another longtime Fodor's member who rarely posts in recent times but I certainly know your uncle through his posts. He was obviously was very well regarded here and I thank you for taking time to let us know about his passing.

Our thoughts are with you and your family.

Dear Tim,

You and your family have my sincere condolences. I think the other posters before me have said it all. Your uncle was a true asset to this board; always helpful, patient, and never judgemental. I always loved reading his posts. They were so detailed and informative. It was clear how much he loved his city of London.

I'm sure he was a lovely man. He will be missed.

Johanna

Ben will be missed and remembered.
My condolences go out to all of Ben's family.

My sincere condolences to you and your family. Ben will certainly be missed!

Monica

Rest in peace, Ben.

Once, in my early days on Fodors, I asked a question that was worded poorly and received a wonderful humbling tongue-in-cheek reply from Ben. I wish I's had a chance to meet him in person. His knowledge of London is legendary on this board, and I will miss him.

I am so sorry to hear the sad news.
Sad for his faimly and equally sad for all of us who gained so much from his time and patience. We say in Zulu:
"Lala ngoxolo"(Rest in Peace)
"Inkosi ibe nani"(May God be with you)

Tod

My sincerest condolences to Haines family.

Thank you for the sad note Tim.

We will miss Mr. Haines' light.

I am so sorry.

Ben was, quite outstandingly, the most impressive Web person I came across during the Web's brief life. No-one came close to him in the unfailing energy, intelligence and understanding he brought to trying to make a visit to Britain worthwhile.

Please, Tim, pass on my condolences to your other relatives.

This bit of Cyberspace really will be greatly poorer for his passing. Please publicise the details of his memorial service.

May I offer my sincere condolences to you.

I hope, and am indeed more than certain that Ben Haines will live on in Fodors Forum as people will time and time again return to the thousands of posts containing his invaluable and informative advice and opinions on London and of course the infamous British railway network!

You may like to know that as well as being a traveller, he was a great churchman, serving as churchwarden of his multi-cultural South London parish (Church of England/Anglican) for a number of years.
May he rest in peace and rise in glory.

Mr. Haines, condolences to you and your family. I only hope that when I pass from this earth, I am remembered as fondly as Ben will be.

Along with many others, I would like to add my condolences. Ben was a rare person, and will be greatly missed for his wit, his wisdom, and his many contributions to the clueless traveler. Our prayers are with you and your family --- may his soul rest in peace.

In response to Julies, and for the general interest of all, here's a little bit about Ben:

Ben was about 70 when he died (sorry I can’t be more exact) He was, as you probably know, a dedicated Christian, a staunch liberal and an active socialist. He was also very pro-European integration / expansion. He grew up in several different countries including (I’m fairly sure) Egypt and Iraq and studied history at Cambridge. He did national service in the Royal Artillery, which he did not particularly enjoy. After this he worked for the British Council for many years until he retired early on health grounds (they wouldn’t let him work abroad any more due to ill health, so he retired). Whilst working for the BC in a managerial capacity he enjoyed stints in, amongst very many other places, Jordan, Bangladesh, Tunisia and Sudan. After he retired he travelled extensively, following his interests in history, music, language and may other aspects of cultural life. He was quite a linguist, with a grasp of French, German, Arabic and Urdu (and probably more that I don’t know about). He was also a church warden and an active member of the local community in many other respects. His other great interests in life, as you probably know, were cycling, train travel, academic lectures and pub lunches. He was a life-long bachelor. Ben’s feet had been giving him trouble for a couple of years (I don’t know the details) but a combination of several ailments and infections got him in the end.

On a more personal note, Ben had a very great influence on my life. When my family returned from having been imprisoned by the Argentines in the Falkland Islands during the invasion in 1982, we lived in my uncle’s house for some months while we got our lives back together. We ended up living next door to him for significant portions of my childhood (when he wasn’t abroad) and he was by turns a confidante, an educator and a playmate for me and my siblings. He took us on some memorable outings – outdoor swimming pools were a favourite – often borrowing my father’s car, which he drove with a singular lack of skill, much to our entertainment. I went to visit him in many far flung countries, and he instilled in me a great love of travel. He was always interesting and entertaining to talk to, and I learned a lot from him.

Once again, thank you all for your kind words. I know that you were all a significant part of my Uncle’s life, especially in the last few years, and a major source of intellectual stimulation, company, camaraderie and interest for him. Many thanks.

Tim Haines.

What a gentleman indeed. I was very interested to read all the additional biographical details. Like many others, I received personal email advice about an eastern Europe itinerary.

My condolences to the family and cuber-hugs to everybody who misses him. His contributions on Fodor's will help others for long, long time!

Thank you, Tim, for taking your time to keep us posted.

I have just heard from Tim Haines via e-mail regarding the funeral arrangements.

He is deciding whether or not to post those here.

I feel fortunate that I will be in London on the date and be able to attend.

I advised Tim that there are more than a few posters who live in the UK, including those in London, and that they might very well wish to attend also.

So sorry to hear the news.

My most sincere condolences to your family.

Word fails to express the grest loss to us.

My deepest sympathy to you and your family.

Ben was a true class act and will be missed.

Thank you Tim, for your kind and informative note.
Please be sure to advise us of the details of the memorial service. I like to, but won't be able to attend being located on the other side of the Atlantic, but I'm sure others in the nearer vicinity will, and I shall certainly think of him on that day.

It would be so like Ben to bring us together in death as he did in life on this site.

Mathieu

Ben to me was the perfect writer.
His obvious high education level and his vast experience from being around the world shone through.
His articulate answers were stuff legends are made of and he is indeed a legend.

I am sad today because the Haines family along with us here have lost Ben.

But I am also happy because after reading the words of Tim, it is clear that Ben experienced the world and had a long and industrious life.

Also he sounds to be pretty much as I had imagined him to be. A wonderful old gentleman with so many stories and tales to tell.
His specific itemised itineries down to the finest detail were here for us all to use.

He will be sorely missed here, but I sincerely hope that his words of advice to the many thousands of people on this site will live on.

God Bless you Ben.
Sincere condolences to his family.

Many thanks to Tim for taking the time to pass on this sad news.

Muck

He will sorely be missed here. Thank you for taking time during this sad period to let strangers know about his death. As "web mates" it is difficult to feel you know someone and then have him disappear from the site. Condolences to your family.

My thoughts and prayers are with your family.

I always enjoyed Ben's posting here. My husband and I made a trip to London this past December and he gave us some great advice for sites to see that were off the beaten path. He brought joy to so many people with his advice.

Thank you so much for posting this news. It is one of the saddest things I have read on Fodors. Your uncle was a huge presence here and he will be missed tremendously.

I send deepest sympathy to you and your family.

My deepest sympathies to all your family.

Although he never gave me direct advice, his knowledge of Europe was a great help to many and i looked forward to reading his posts as he always had the answer.

He lived his life to the full and touched many lives.

Rest In Peace Ben, you'll be sorely missed by many

I was saddened to hear about the passing of Ben Haines. He brought such knowledge and joy to traveling and had such an elegant writing style.

When I was planning a trip to London a few years ago, he emailed some info and was encouraging to me. I'm not sure if I ever said a proper thank you for all his help, though I doubt he thought of it as doing anything out of the ordinary.

Reading Tim Haines bio about his uncle brought a smile through the tears. I see where his love of travel took him throughout his life and I learned more about him than just being a wonderful source of information.

My deepest condolences go out to you and your family. I'm sorry I cannot attend the memorial service, but he will be in my thoughts.

for those who may also be members on other travel forums, additional
announcement and tribute threads for
Mr Ben Haines are ongoing at

Thorntree (Lonely Planet)http://tinyurl.com/3yry5v

and Travelers to Go
http://tinyurl.com/38zh4z

I am very sorry to hear about your uncle's passing. My thoughts & prayers are with you and your family.

A truly remarkable man and contributor to Fodor's. He will be missed.

MY

This is a shock, we were just talking fondly about Ben Haines at a recent GTG.

My deepest sympathies to his family and friends.

My condolences to you Tim, and your family and his friends. The posts your uncle contributed here left no doubt that he was a very kind, caring and intelligent person who took great pride in helping others. Mr. Haines love of detail, of travel and of his hometown London were always evident in every response.

As you have just registered at Fodor's, I'm not sure whether you know that all of the contributions he made to the forum can be found by clicking on his name in one of his posts. (There may be even more -- this only goes back several year to the time when registering a screen name became required here. Using the general search box with his name might yield more.)

Anyway, here is a shortcut for you in case you would like to read his posts (or save them, or print them): using this link, Mr. Haines contributed to all of the posts listed in the frame to the left; his entries will appear highlighted within.

http://preview.tinyurl.com/2zgg97

Tim,

Thank you for taking the time to inform us of this very sad news. Ben was a kind and generous man. Please accept my condolences.

Bye Ben, I'll miss your words.

I will definitely miss Ben Haines, a consummate gentleman. He always provided free and accurate aid with trip planning, and there are many details I could not have finalized over the years without him.

God Speed Ben.

I join the chorus---Ben's postings were always informative and thoughtful.

He joined the community as ben_haines_london in the pre-registration days. Judging from several posts here it seems that his online contributions were hardly limited to this site. We are grateful that he chose to post his stellar advice here as well.

Thank you Tim for shedding light on Ben's life---sounds like one amazing journey.

Your uncle will be missed.

I will keep Ben and your family members in my prayers. He helped me in planning my London trips as well as my very special trip to Romania this past fall (I traveled there with my father just months before his own death.)

One of the best parts of Fodor's Forums is lost to us now.

Dear Tim,

This is such sad news.

I, like so many others here, felt that I knew him through his kind and informative posts.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you and all his family.

Byrd

Dear Tim,

I had tears in my eyes when I read your words about him. You were lucky to have had him in your life. I hope your memories of him will give you comfort.

Johanna

I am so sad.
I feel as though a good friend has died.
I will always remember Ben Haines and his charming posts and kindness in helping newbies and sharing his life and experiences with us.
My condolences to his family,
Scarlett

I still have the printout of Mr. Haines' report on "pubs in London for lunch" and "where to bring children in and around London and the rest of the UK".

You will be so much missed, Ben. May you rest in peace.

So very sad. A great wealth of information is gone except in his posts that will live on.
He was always helpful and polite.
He will be missed.

Honestly first I didn't really pay attention to this posting, I was thinking someone was asking him advice.
I'll be in London in less than 3 weeks and will have a thought for him and his family.
Mes sincères condoléances.
Corinne

So sorry for your loss, Tim. As you can see, he will be missed.

So sorry to hear this news. Ben e mailed me personally on a question about the Venetians on the coast of Croatia. So knowledgeable and so generous.

Tim,

So sorry to hear about your loss. Even though I never met him, his presence here in his comments and stories made me see him as a true gentleman and kind soul. This place is now the lesser by his absence.
Mike

I am so sorry to hear of the loss of Mr. Haines. What a lovely individual he was, and what an interesting life he had. My best to your family, Tim Haines.

You could always depend on him for the best London information, always presented with tact and style.

Tim

Thank you for sharing some of Mr Haines' (I just always thought of him in a formal way!) background with us. What a kind, thoughtful and interesting person he seems to have been. And what a zest for travel & life!

Like all of you, I will miss his posts; I, too, have printed out his useful lists and London tips. This is very sad; it's always odd to 'miss' someone that you have never met, but I know we all feel that there is a big empty space right now in fodorland...

Thank you Ben for all you shared with us. I feel the richer for it.
sj

Please add my condolences to all the others, and thank you very much for letting us know.

I once e-mailed Ben off forum asking if he would mind giving me some information about a hotel location and nearby sights, and he responded almost immediately with a wonderful walk and suggesting the Albert Pub for lunch after attending Sunday services at Westminster Abbey. Later, I recommended the pub to someone else on Fodors, giving Ben the credit. Again, he responded right away on that thread, saying it had taken a U.S. Fodorite to tell him about the Albert, which he checked out personally before recommending it to me.

He was certainly a wonderful Christian gentleman, and I will miss him.

I am very sorry for your loss, Tim. I hope it is some comfort for you and your family to read how highly he was regarded by people who knew him through his posts here.

So sorry to hear the news. His posts were always interesting and informative

My condolences as well to the family.

I have a few of his emails also from a few years back. I was going to London with a friend and emailed him for some advice. He requested detailed info about me and my traveling companion so that he could send me some ideas that he felt would be appropriate to our interests.

What a lovely and helpful man he was!

Tim:

We are all so grateful for your uncle's generosity in share his knowledge and advice, particularly about London. I was the beneficiary of his sound advice a number of times. While I couldn't always undo the plans already in place, at least I knew what to expect.

He was the consummate gentleman -- invariably polite and charming.

We are grateful for the time we had with him here on this board. He will be remembered fondly.

I too am so sad to read of Ben's passing. My condolences to Tim and his family and my thanks for letting us know at what must be a difficult time for you.

This has been an awful week for bad news about so many forum regulars and now, this.

Please let us know about the memorial service Tim as I will be in London in close to 3 weeks time and will attend to pay my respects to one of life's true gentlemen.

regards,

bill

It's difficult to know what else to say. When I read Ben's contributions I always felt that he would have been a fascinating man to meet; Tim's short bio proved that I didn't know the half of it.

My deepest condolences go to Tim & to the rest of Ben's family & friends.

Jim

may he rest in peace... he will be sincerely missed here, as i am sure many other places and by many other people in his "real life".

This is really sad news for the Fodors "community". He posts have always been unbelievably helpful and to the point.

He will be missed.

To the Haines Family,

I can say that I never met Ben, but I feel like I knew him from all his wonderful posts about travel. He was and is still the person I refer to when it comes to advice about train travel. He will live on in his archived posts and in our memories. I think if you collected all his posts and put them in a book you would have a great travel memoir.

I am sorry for your loss. I know Ben will live on in all of the travelers he has helped around the world.

GregPCM
Los Angeles, CA

My condolences to the Haines family. Ben was a true gentleman whose generosity in time and tips has touched the lives of fellow travelers worldwide.

Dear Tim, I am so saddened to read of the death of your uncle, Mr Haines. As everyone else has said Mr. Haines was a true gentleman. When I first registered on Fodor's he was the first poster that I noticed. A gentleman of the old school and a kind and generous human being that was always so willing to share his knowledge.

I thank you for taking the time to post this sad news. And thank you for posting back and sharing some of your uncles life history with us. How very thoughtful of you to do this during your time of grief. You have your dear uncles traits I believe.

May all of your loving and appreciative memories of your uncle help you through this sorrowful time. My sincere condolences to you, your family and to all that loved and respected Mr. Haines. He left quite a legacy. Through sadness it give me joy to know he lived his life to the fullest. Best regards.

Dear Tim,
Thank you for posting the very sad news. Your uncle was so knowledgable, and generous with his advice. He really helped me completely plan our trip to England and Poland. I offered to take him to lunch to thank him and because I really wanted to meet him. To be honest, I had a little bit of a crush on him, and I could tell he was elderly, (I think) and I am happily married. The first post I ever read from him was his description of hearing a Klezmer Band in London and it was so lovely in its description, I made up my mind, that was our next trip. I will miss his posts very much.

I am saddened to read this news. Mr. Haines so kindly shared his list of pubs and with such enthusiasm, I might add. His contributions will be deeply missed.

My condolences to his family.

Sad news indeed. One of the great posters on this forum, or any forum for that matter, has left us.

I profited from Ben's advice time after time. Who among us can ever take his place? I have a very short list of candiates: zero.

Let me add my condolences. You can hear a brief BBC interview with Ben Haines (on the subject of attending public lectures) if you go to http://tinyurl.com/2qqvrk and click on "Listen."

Besides countless insightful travel information, another great contribution, with the same generosity and enthusiasm, from Mr Haines to Ceberspace was his list of London lectures at http://victorianresearch.org/lectures.html, it has brought joy of learning and more understanding to socity to many people; the loss could never be replaced.

One more tribute could be found at www.thehill.org.uk, it shows Mr Haines's photo and another side of him-but the same great warmth and loving personality.

Tim, my sincere condolences to you and your family. Mr. Haines' kindness to me prior to my trip to London will not be forgotten. I regret never having met him in person. He was truly one in a million.

Dear Tim, this news brought me to tears. Ben Haines was one of a kind. I dare say we will never see a more knowledgeable or kinder poster. Thank you for telling us more about him. My deepest sympathies to you and your family.

My condolences Tim.

Ben wrote here of being raised and schooled in Egypt. He wrote that his father was a teacher at the school he attended. He did not mention Iraq, but perhaps he was being concise.

This was so far back that it was of the same era he complained of having to pay 5P a minute for a slow dial up connection as DSL was not yet available to him.

Thank you for sharing with us Tim. Your uncle was an incredible man. I felt very fortunate every time he graciously answered yet another question about London and he really inspired me to visit again and again.

Tim, as many others have said, we are very glad you posted this information. Only one of my trips in recent years was to London, but I have read many of Ben's posts over the last eight years. He was a true gentleman and shared so much information. His help and advice will live on in Fodors for a long time to come. How lucky you were to have him as such an important part of your life. We will miss him.

Oh My,

I send my best wishes to your family. Ben was such a giving man. He always seemed to provide the best warm and precise advise. He helped me feel welcome to explore and to ask for help. I celebrate his life with you and yours.

O all the instruments agree
The day of his death was a dark cold day

Many of us always referred to Ben Haines as "Mr. Haines," such was the automatic respect we felt instinctively for this gentlemen. Your follow-up post, Tim, shows that our instinct was spot on.

My sincerest sympathy to Ben's family and my great appreciation for the time he devoted to enlightening people all over the world to the "other" London that we tourists often didn't think of seeing.

Tim, Thank you so much for informing us about your Uncle Ben. I can't say anything that hasn't already been said. Your uncle compiled a list of Baptist churches in London for my husband and I to choose. He also told of a wonderful neighbor who was a Baptist preacher. I've been blessed to have a wonderful father to have as a role model and someone who really cared about others. You are blessed to have had a wonderful relationship with your Uncle. I'm sure we all would have loved to meet him. Prayers and love to you and your family and the rest of the Haines family. luvlondon/Molly

Hi Tim,

Thank you for letting us know of his passing.

Count me amongst those who is shocked and saddened by his sudden loss. He was so knowledgeable, charming, and eloquent online, I can only imagine how he was like in real life. He was clearly a great influence on you as well, and I hope you will come by and impart some of your wisdom every now and then, if not more often.

My condolences to you and your family. My thoughts are with you during this sad time.

Tim,

My condolences to you and your family. I have read many of Ben's posts and he always went above and beyond to provide helpful information to travelers.

I am saddened to get this news, but thank you for posting.

Tim, I am sorry about your uncle. He sounded like such a wonderful person and a true gentle Englishman. Much Aloha to your family.

All my condolences. As many have said, Ben Haines was probably the most helpful and appreciated poster on this board.

Thanks for informing us and sharing informations about his life. He will be missed here.

Tim...(and everyone else) I just remembered something your uncle always wrote each time he posted helpful information to anyone going to London. He always ended his post with

“Welcome to London”
Ben Haines

I can hear the following words being said to Ben:

“Ben, Welcome to Heaven”
God

Luvlondon / Molly

fodors and the lonely planet have one less star shining in the planet.

Surely this long thread only hints at the many people who enjoyed and appreciated contributions of Ben Haines to our widely shared joy of travel. I hope this simply adds to the wonderful memories of a kind gentleman his family and friends will continue to share.

Tim-
Thank you for letting us know about your dear uncle. My sincerest condolences to you and your family.

His kind and helpful manner will always be remembered, and is a lesson to us all.

Tim - how kind of you to let us know about your uncle's death. I am sure it would mean a lot to him to know that you valued his postings and relationships made on the Internet as much as we did.

Dear Tim,

I'm returning to Fodor's after a long absence to add my sincere condolences to you and your family. Ben Haines was a great help to me in planning my train travels -- I still have his emails and use them as a guide.

He was a lovely man and I was honored to have corresponded with him. He will be remembered.

Dear Tim,
Please accept my condolences for your loss. Mr. Haines, as you can see, was met with much affection by a large online community. He was always a gentleman and gave great advice. He once emailed me a word document with some pubs to try and places to eat in Greenwich! Regretfully, I think I lost the document since then. Mr. Haines will be sorely missed.

I was with chepar at that GTG when his name came up! That was just on Sunday!

Please know that he will be remembered with affection by all who knew him.

I just want to add my condolences to Tim and his family.
I shared Mr Haines' love for London, having lived there for many years. His posts were always courteous, and he went to so much trouble to be of help to people he never met.

Such sad news. I include my condolences here for the family and friends of Mr. Haines. You were very kind to let us know, Tim.

To Tim and the Haines family--my condolences on the loss of your uncle. He was a very special presence and voice of wisdom here on this site. He will be missed! --leslie

I can't believe he will not be around to answer a million ,so patiently, and to share his amazing knowledge! How will I know which rail trip to take????

VALE BEN HAINES

Tim, thank you for posting to let this community know about your uncle's passing and even more so for giving us your insight into his very full and interesting life. I really appreciated learning more about him from you.

The internet is so often a place of anonymity, words written without full thought of their impact and so many inaccuraces. Mr Haines brought, to all communities in which he participated, a genuine courtesy that influenced the whole community, a sincere desire to help and share and an intelligence, wit and attention to detail that will all be very much missed.

My condolences to his family and friends.

I no longer post much on this board, though I read it often but I have often appreciated Mr Haines' posts and benefited from the information he has shared.

I have emailed you to ask about his memorial services as I would very much like to attend if I am able.

I am so, so saddened to hear of Mr. Haines passing. He was one of the most patient, informative, and kinder posters in this forum. His passion for train travel, travel in general, London, and helping others was so evident on his frequent posts. One advice in particular he gave me was the closest church for me to attend Ash Wednesday services while I was London in Feb 2002. What a magnificent human being he was. He will be deeply missed by this traveling community. Sincere condolecences to the family.

Tim-- do you mind posting location details for the Memorial Service? Thank you.

Tim, never mind previous inquiry; as per your request, I have e-mailed you for details on the Memorial Service. Thanks.

Mr Haines' nephew has kindly pointed me to a picture of Ben on the web, which I have added to the small memorial on the "fodotite" page -- http://fodorite.fisherfowler.net/

Be sure to click the tiny link under his picture for some interesting information. Who would have guessed that he would have played Mr. Mushnik in his group's production of Little Shop of Horrors?

He will be missed and thank you Tim for your comments.

What awful news. I feel as if I've lost a good friend, though I never had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Haines in person. He was such a help with our train plans when we visited Prague, Vienna and Budapest. We corresponded by e-mail as well as on the forum, and his advice was invaluable. The Forum won't be the same without him.

Thank you Tim for telling us a bit about your uncle. It is so hard to lose someone you love and my heart goes out to you and your family.

Thank you Tim for sharing the passing of one of my favorite Fodors contributors. I would like to think that Ben is on "another trip" with such other wonderful people as Wes Fowler.........hopefully, everything will "be planned" for the rest of us when we arrive at that particular Fodors GTG?

Dear Tim and Family:

My sympathies and prayers to your family. Your uncle was one who we could always count on for great advice. He will be greatly missed.

itsv

Sincere condolences to the Haines family.

As my late father used to say, the contribution of a man is judged by the number of people he touches in a meaningful way, making them all feel special in their own right, and that you can get an idea of his wealth by the number of people thinking of him and at his funeral. I did not have a privilege to get to know Mr. Haines but it is obvious to me that he was a very wealthy man.

Best.

I am so sorry to hear the very sad news. Ben always went the extra mile and will be missed by many here at Fodors. He was a great help to me when seaching for pubs and walks in London.
My condolences to all Ben's family, and thank you so much Tim for taking the trouble to keep us informed.

Carol.
South Africa.

Funeral details have been posted by Tim at this thread:
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&tid=34972936

Your uncle was a generous poster, always gracious in his replies and assistance. It was very thoughtful of you to take some time to let this board know about Ben’s passing. My condolences to your family.

I returned to this board after an absence of several years and immediately looked to make sure that Ben was still posting. He averted my family from a near disaster when he informed me that the overnight train from Munich to Venice spilt up in the middle of the night. I am very saddened he was such a courteous, perfect gentlemen. He will will missed. Thank you Tim for letting us know.

I am so sad to hear of Mr. Haines's passing. To his nephew, Tim Haines, and to the rest of his family, I wish to say how sorry I am for their loss. I looked forward to Mr. Haines's informative and humorous posts on this board and benefited from them greatly in my travels. He was a gentle, helpful soul who was very special to this board and most highly esteemed by all. I will miss him very much.

Dear Tim and family-

I haven't had the need of London information in a few years, but even in the few posts I followed, I always noticed your uncle.

He set a great example for thoughtful, courteous behavior, and I wish there were more like him in the world.

Aloha oe, Ben Haines!

Lucy
Honolulu, Hawaii

Tim,

Thank you for letting us know about your uncle's passing. This is indeed sad news. I loved reading his posts - his advice was on target and very informative. He will be deeply missed.

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family during this time.

peace,
Travelribbion

My condolences. I always found his posts useful and entertaining. I've always had this picture in my head of Mr. Haines on a bicycle, for some reason! He will be missed.

~Liz

To the Haines Family:

We were lucky and blessed to have known our dear Ben. He was a kind and generous soul and offered so much assistance to others.

Thank you Tim for posting this news, as well as his picture and his bio. He will be sadly missed by our Fodor's family.

It's been a long time since I've visited this site. To return and see this first message is heartbreaking and a loss to all travelers. Ben was always a gentle man who took joy in sharing his knowledge. My thoughts are with his family. Be assured the goodbyes are only temporary.

Thank you for sharing this sad news, Tim. Though I never sought his advice, I felt that your Uncle was like the wise and kindly father of this forum. A life well lived - he made an impact around the world.

I think no greater compliment can be made to a person than that he is remembered only for his: 1)kindliness 2)helpfulness, and 3)courteous. Always a gentleman, he was. It would have been an honor to know him.

I am so sorry to hear of your uncle's death. He always had time to give wonderful and helpful advice. He will be missed.

My deepest sympathies. Ben Haines always provided excellent touring advice, a man that truly knew his country and had a wonderful way of sharing it with others. He was really a great guy. Warmest personal regards for the Haines family.

To the memory of Mr Haines, may I share some of his notes:

As we know, Mr Haines had very diversified life experiences; once, about some lectures in London, he wrote:
"As often, what the meeting saw as history, I saw as autobiography."

About a verse: " Whose soul is still prepared for death", he wrote:
"Yes, but this is not hard, life has been great, the next will be better again."

While talking about Thomas More, he wrote:
"So, it is going to be interesting to meet him."

Once, he wrote:
"As I swin against the flood of so-called news in so-called newspapers..."

My condolences to the family of Mr. Haines; he was a true gentleman and affected so many lives in a wonderful way. Peace be with you.

Tim,

It was so kind of you to post here. Ben's posts were one of those things you could count on for both accuracy and just the pleasure of reading them.

I really appreciated that quote of Leviticus under his photo. A good philosophy for all of us.

Tim,

I would like to add my condolences to the many already posted here. Mr. Haines was indeed a true gentleman.

I'm so sorry for your loss.

Patricia

My condolences also. A wonderful writer and clearly an interesting and warm man.

I would like to add my condolences to those posted here, in way those of us who write often, then to care and respect others, Tim Haines was someone whose opinion was always valuable, a true gentleman. I always loved to read his postings and to learn from him.

Dear Tim, What a wonderful, kindly gentleman. Mr. Haines helped me several times. Especially, herding my duckies through Gatwick. After reading about him on these post one must say, "What an amazing life he must have had."
How lucky ya'll were to have him for an uncle. We are so sorry to hear of his passing. Sharon

It was suggested on another thread that anyone wishing to make a donation in Ben's name may send a contribution to his church.

St Catherine's Church
102 Pepys Road
London SE14

I was able to send a small donation in £ using my XETrade account.

Dear Tim,

We're going to England and Wales in about a month, and I've enjoyed reading many of Ben's informative posts about London. He was truly a gentleman, and will be greatly missed. I am sorry for your family's loss.

Lee Ann

Oh my goodness, what a shock. I am very saddened to hear the news. Although I never met Ben in person, I feel as though I'm loosing a friend.

His posts were always a pleasure to read. He was such a gentleman and such a huge help to those asking for advice.
I remember a few years ago, he helped me with train schedules and I felt so honoured to be receiving emails from him.

He will be missed so much.

Mr. Tim Haines,

My sincere condolonces for your family's loss. As you can tell from this post, your uncle was truly loved. He helped me out on numerous occasions, even personally emailing me.

He was a true gentleman.

dfotravels

What can I say, what a sad news... I have read all 178 posts ahead of mine, and I do not need to further comments on Mr Haines contribution.
Although I am a relatively new poster to this forum, I have always had tremendous admiration for the wealth of his knowledge and his gentlemanliness. London has lost one of its splended gems.

Please rest in peace, Mr Haines. Maybe you're already wornking on compiling more helpful information, this time on heaven.

Tim,

It is a tribute to both you and your uncle that you knew to come here to advise his many unmet friends of his passing.

There are many people out here in cyberspace, as you are finding out, who, although we never met Ben Haines, always felt we had "a friend in London."

I have not read or posted at Fodors in a very long time, and I read of Ben's passing on another travel message board.

I came here because Ben Haines was a Fodors poster I always admired and loved to read. He was unfailingly helpful, cheerful, and polite.

Happy travels, Ben.

Thank you, Tim.

Juju

My condolences to Ben's family and friends.

He was a wonderful guy who probably helped thousands of fellow travelers over the years.
And he will likely help thousands more in the future, as all his advice and knowledge is archived just waiting to be brought-up in a Search.

Tim, I also posted this thread and the funeral details thread on the UseNet group rec.travel.europe

Your uncle was a regular poster there in the past (it very likely was the 1st travel newsgroup he posted on) and I'm sure many of the old regulars still remember him fondly.
Regards, Walter

I've been gone from this forum for years until a few weeks ago. I'm so glad that I came back in time to chime in with the hundreds who felt so warmly about the online Ben Haines we knew. I'm so sorry that I missed the chance to share this space with him again.

As another poster mentioned, I love to think of him and Wes finally catching up with each other.

Tim, may I add my condolences to the chorus. The best to you and your family during this time.

Lo siento Tim, et.al.
I regret never having seen a post of his.
M

Tim

You and your family have my condolences on your loss.

I am surprised by my own sense of loss since I never met Ben in person but only knew him through his posts on this forum. I was always impressed not only by his knowledge and ability to impart that knowledge but also by a sense of Ben's kindness, generosity and enthusiasm.

He was truly a gentleman and a scholar and the world is a poorer place for his absence.

The highlight of my recent trip to London was going on one of Ben's walks (from Blackfriars to Brick Lane)

I will return to London and plan to go on many more of Ben's wonderful walks.

Leonard Callow

My heartfelt sympathies to Ben's family. We now have the ultimate travel guide from the heavens above. Rest in peace dearest Ben,you are a true gentleman...

Dear Tim,

May I join the hordes of Fodorites in extending my deepest condolences to you and your family on the loss of your uncle.

I must confess that when I saw this thread, I opened it with great anticipation for another round of great advice from him that I could clip and keep for future use. I can't tell you how saddened I am to hear of his demise.

It takes a real gentleman to make the effort to share his insights and knowledge in such a detailed way with others and Ben was the very best representative of the breed. And there is no better proof than to see this outpouring of well wishes from whole hosts of people such as myself who probably never even had the good fortune of meeting him in person.

Our thoughts will be with him and you. I'd like to think that he is charting out new trails wherever he is.

Happy journeys Ben.

I like many others, assumed this thread was filled with alot of helpful advice from Mr Haines that I should be storing for future reference. I have always enjoyed reading his informative
pieces and realised very early on what a valuable contribution he made to this fabulous site. Even though I never met Mr Haines I viewed him as an "elder" respected statesman,with tremendous knowledge.
What a unique man to be able to unite so many people from all parts of the world. My deepest sympathies from "the land down under".

It was always wonderful to return to this site and find Ben's thoughtful and kindly replies. I will miss him. My condolences to your family. I know his memorial service will celebrate his life on this little planet, and rejoice in the knowledge that his journey has just begun.

Thank you, Tim, for posting this sad news. Your uncle was very helpful to me when I was planning our trip to London last summer.

Clearly, your uncle was an extraordinary person and we were fortunate to get to know him even if just by message boards and emails.

My condolences to you and your family.

Dear Tim -

I wish very much to add my condolences to the many here before me. Mr Haines was an incredible gentleman, and always had wonderful suggestions and information for posters. May he rest in peace.

Tim, I am so sad to hear about the passing of your uncle, Ben Haines. He was truly a gentlemen and so generous to pass on his travel knowledge to those who asked. I am another one who used his pub list and places to go with children when I made a trip to London 3 years ago.

Thank you also for sharing some of his life story. It is comforting to know that he lived a full life and truly followed his passion of traveling.

My condolences to you and your family. He will be missed but he has left a legacy here on Fodors with his many wonderful postings.

there are some fine, and well-deserved, tributes to Mr Haines on the Eastern Europe and CAucasus Board at Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree.

Hello Tim,
Thank you for informing us about your uncles death. Obviously he was beloved and he will be missed by many.

Yipper

Tim,

My condolences to you and your family. Your uncle touched many lives and he will be missed. As you can see, many, many of us relied on his helpful information.

Reading this makes me sigh. He gave a lot to Fodors readers.

My most sincere condolences to you and your family. Your uncle will be sorely missed and mourned by many who appreciated and enjoyed his vast knowledge and gentlemanly kindness.

That in your sorrow you troubled to let us know of his passing continues his tradition of thoughtful consideration. Thank you and God bless.

My condolences. I was very saddened by this. It's men like Mr. Haines who make the interent into a "community"

Let me add my condolences. What a kind, helpful, generous soul! He will be sorely missed. Thanks for letting us know.

Ann Watters, San Francisco, CA USA

I was so saddened to read this news yesterday. God rest your kind soul, Ben.

Keeping the memory alive.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if this thread could be printed out and delivered to the funeral/memorial service.
(This may have been mentioned earlier on, as I have not read all the posts).

This is truly a "Condolence book" in every sense of the word.

Rest in Peace Ben.

Actually, Celticmoon I have thought of doing so since I will be attending the funeral services next week.

I posted a question yesterday as to whether or not anyone else here is seriously planning to attend but unfortunately only one person responded and they did so to thank me for "representing" the people here.

I was hoping someone else might actually show up and am still hopeful.

Ben Haines' love and enthusiasm for London sparked our love and enthusiasm for London. My condolences to you and your family, Tim. It sounds as though your uncle lived an extraordinary life!

Ben Haines set the gold standard for knowledge, genrosity and the uncanny ability to paint a picture in his posts. Whether it be a random post about klezmer music in a London park or a specific answer to a question, he exhibited such knowledge, humanity and joy. He will no doubt be missed by his family, and friends who knew him either personally or through forums such as this one.

Tim,
I am so sorry for your loss. Your uncle was truly an exceptional poster on this board, and I'm not surprised to read in the information you've shared that he was even more exceptional in life.

I too shall think of him on his bicycle in Paris.

For so many of us on this board, even those who never e-mailed him or met him personally, Ben Haines was the face of London.

Dear Tim,
I have just seen this post, and like others, supposed it a request for information. But then I noticed the number of replies, and my heart sank.

Your uncle gave me so much information when we were planning a week trip to London - oh so many years ago. I believe it must have been about 1997. I remember that we were wondering about the subway connections close to the Burns Hotel and other questions. He responded by writing that he had actually gone (bicycled or walked) to these locations and looked for the things I was referring to. The details and concern that he showed to travelers to his beloved London were remarkable. I couldn't believe that he would take so much time to help a stranger with their worries.

Thank you for posting this message for all the people whose lives he had touched on this board. It was exactly the sort of thing that he would have done. I'm sure he was very proud of you.

Carol

And I would like to add my sincere condolences to the family of Mr. Ben Haines.

What a truly gracious man who helped many travellers to London.

For those interested - here is Dukey's report of Ben's services held this morning. . . . . .

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&tid=34972936

I think you meant http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&tid=34983535 janis...

Oops - yes you are right. I had the right one and then clicked on Tim's just to make sure there wasn't more info on that one. Then had a senior moment and used that thread's link . . . .

Thanks for straightening it out.

Although I can't think of anything new to add to the wonderful tributes to Mr. Haines, I do want to add my condolences to his family. I am thankful for his travel advice, his generosity of spirit, and his dedication to providing absolutely accurate information.
I have many of his posts saved in my travel files.
Annette

How moving indeed the many tributes to Ben Haines on Fodors talk! So many appreciated his postings. It seems that besides condolences to nephew Tim we are doing the same to many listers as well, as if we too have lost a friend...which we have even though never having met him personally. Fact is, learning more about his interests, I do wish we known each other. Thanks from one some years older than was he for further info.

ozarksbill
in Springfield, MO

There will always be an England....but it won't be the same without Ben.

Ben helped me with research on my books, he allowed me to include his extensive Christmas music events listing on my website. Just a few examples of his generosity.

I can't recall a negative posting from him--ever. Something that all of us in the online world should try to emulate.

My condolences to you and your family. Your uncle will be missed.

I run the victorianresearch.org site, on which Ben and I published his constantly updated lectures list. His last one, which he sent to me at the end of February, is here: http://victorianresearch.org/lectures.html
He was also pleased to publish his "Week of Walks" guide at http://victorianresearch.org/haineswalks.html , as well as his notes on Labour Sites around London, at http://victorianresearch.org/laboursites.html

He took infinite trouble over these guides, and the walks, especially, are filled with the kindly wisdom that was Ben's trademark. We corresponded for several years, and I was privileged to meet him at last -- for the only time, alas -- in London four years ago. I won't soon forget our lunch, or meeting his old friends at the English School Cairo reunion, or the sight of Ben expertly threading his way through Trafalgar Square traffic on his beloved bicycle. He had since had to give up those excursions, and though he suffered greatly through operations on his feet, he bore it all with great good humor and quiet dignity, all the while continuing to work at helping visitors more fully experience the city he knew and loved so well.

I'm too shocked to say more now, as I've only tonight learned the news. He was a good man and a good friend and I will miss him so very much.

Patrick Leary
pleary@victorianresearch.org

Patrick,

I can assure you that your thoughts and feelings about Mr. Haines were well-represented/expressed at his funeral on 17 April.

That event made it very clear that this gentleman was loved and admired by a great many people.

I am so sorry to be responding to this post so late, but I just learned of Ben's death. (I myself was hospitalized and in an intensive care unit at the time of his deasth.) Dukey, thank you so much for attending Ben's funeral.

What all of you have written about Ben is certainly true: he was kind, informative, generous with his knowledge and witty without being cruel or cutting in any way toward anyone. He was "knighted" on this board for these attributes some years ago. I used to joke with other Fodorites that one of us could probably ring Ben up at 3 am, awaken him from a sound sleep, and have him accurately answer a question about train schedules anywhere in Europe!

Ben led a wonderfully full life, and despite his health difficulties, he stayed as actively engaged in his areas of interest as possible, so often serving as a guide and mentor. How wonderful to read that he was a devoted uncle and not such a great driver!

I like to think of Ben now in heaven with Wes Fowler, Miriam Birk, Ed Gehrlein, Art Hussey and Sandy Sabo, discussing his favorite train ride, if only he could select one out of his many. May this dear, kind soul look after all who travel, and rest in peace.

BC

"I like to think of Ben now in heaven with Wes Fowler, Miriam Birk, Ed Gehrlein, Art Hussey and Sandy Sabo"

What a lovely image of a heavenly Fodorites GTG!

I also like to think that when people pass away they are able to continue to explore both this world and the next, whatever that may be. Explorers in this life and in the next also.

I wonder if we could get the Fodor's editors to post an "in memory of Ben Hines who contributed so much to the other users of Fodor's" mention of Ben in the next London guidebook?

Keith

I am so sorry to learn of Ben Haines' passing. As a long time lurker, and occasional poster, I haven't been keeping up with the Europe forum in past few months and only now saw this thread.

As bookchick & Kavey describe, Mr. Haines has now joined the list of 'heavenly' Fodorites. Their contributions have been many, and will be missed. May he rest in peace.

Keith, that is a wonderful idea and a fitting tribute.

Fodor editors--how about it?

I haven't looked at Fodor's edition of London recently to see if they've already quoted Mr. Haines from one of his many posts on this forum. It certainly would be a nice tribute & acknowledgement of his extensive contribution to traveling community.

This is one of a number of times that I have wished that Fodor's had a mechanism built right into the system that permitted one to attract the attention of the Fodor's Editorial staff to a particular thread. Many other forums do: Chowhound comes to mind as an example. How about it, Fodor's?

Fodors has the mechanism that you can mail to editors@fodors.com - - in this case. a person could choose to ask that the recipient take note of the posting on 3 July, 12:04 pm, by Keith... in particular.

I'll do that.

Thank you, Rex, for taking the intiative and I have made a note...

Tx too, Rex.

Others doing the same couldn't hurt. I wouldn't think.

I haven't posted in a long time. So sorry to read that Mr. Haines has died.

Thanks for the heads up, rex; it's a good idea.

I believe London '08 is slated to hit stores at the end of August; I'll certainly pass this on to our London editor though. Perhaps there's another alternative if that doesn't work out.

Thank you for showing your support; Ben is missed.

Ah, what sad news that I'm coming to so belatedly.

How many of us are likely to elicit such heartwarming comments and memories from so many when we pass? He touched so many lives and always with pure class.

Tim, it was brilliant of you to think to let the Fodors community know this sad news. And I can only echo what everyone else has already said about your uncle. He was most helpful to us, particularly with Dover information - and I fondly recall a brief exchange we had about "There'll be bluebirds over......" May he rest in peace.

Thank you, Katie_H!

Keith

So sorry to hear about your uncle, he seemed like such a nice man. He was one of the sources for London.

I just learned of this and am tremendously saddened. I never traveled to London without searching his postings, especially during December and the holidays. When I am next in London, I shall light a candle for him at St. Paul's and suggest we all do the same when there.

I am also deeply saddened by Ben's passing.
He helped my family with a trip to London 4 years ago. He gave us many great suggestions planned to the interests of my children.

He even emailed maps of London and helped us organize our visit.

I will always remember Ben Haines fondly. I wish I could have met him in person to thank him.

Laurie

Thank you so much for posting about your uncle. He was so helpful when I was planning my first trip to London and even emailed me invaluable information. Our trip was just fantastic. He was such a gentleman and never seemed to mind answering the most ridiculous questions and never made you feel like an idiot. The bio you posted was just wonderful.

I'm so sorry for your loss and appreciate you letting us know.

Such a loss. He'll be greatly missed.

http://www.thehill.org.uk/ben.htm

Thanks so much for posting that, bookchick.

I was just thinking about him, as I am thinking of another trip to London....

Thanks, bookchick. I especially love this line: "...a man whose generosity knew no bounds." So true for those of us who received his lavish advice.

Thank you BookChick, I often wondered what Ben Haines looked like and he is exactly as kind and intelligent appearing in the photo as I expected. Daughter and I are in the process of planning a trip to London and I am using many of the 'cut and pasted' scraps of wisdom I collected from this fount of knowledge: for us and I suspect, many others, Ben Haines lives...

I have been away from this site for years, but something made me come back today just to check on Ben. I am overwhelmed with the sad news of his passing. My husband and I had the amazing good fortune to meet Ben twice in London. We worshiped with him and then, enjoyed a wonderful "Sunday lunch" at his home. The other guests around the table were intriguing parishioners from St.Catherine's, all newcomers to South London. We had a chance to meet you too, Tim, and admire photos of the longboat you lived on for a time in London.
Ben was international in every aspect, even though he was always the best Londoner too. His outlooks were refreshed by current contact with people from everywhere and his conversation was evocative and challenging. We were blessed to have made his acquaintance. He truly was a gentleman of substance and so much caring. He carried his physical suffering with grace. His last message to me, as I was dealing with grave challenges myself, was to bear the problems with grace. He said doing more would be "selfish."

Rest in Peace, Dear Ben! And our most sincere condolences to all of the rest of the Haines relation.

Well said, Schildc1! And my thanks, too, Bookchick, for that link.

I was lucky enough to meet up with Ben in London just once, and only wish there had been more meetings. We corresponded continually, and I think of him often.

Ben's fans will be glad to know that many of his writings remain easy to find on my UK budget travel page at http://victorianresearch.org/trip.html
including:
"Haines on Trains" at http://victorianresearch.org/hainesontrains.html
London pub advice at http://victorianresearch.org/hainesonpubs.html
London history walks at http://victorianresearch.org/haineswalks.html
and his guide to labour history sites at http://victorianresearch.org/laboursites.html

We will not see his like again.

I also corresponded with Mr. Haines, as he liked to be called, since we had a mutual interest in train travel, but he, of course, knew much more than I ever could know. We both kept our "bible", the Thomas Cook European Timetable close at hand, and used it extensively to help fellow travelers.

I planned on meeting up with Mr. Haines the last time we were in London, but sadly, that did not come to pass.

I love the idea of Fodors memorializing him in some way -- I know the England guide just came out, and perhaps they did just that.

Thank you Tim Haines -- I guess you can see from this outpouring of almost a year how much your uncle will be missed!

Ben was quoted in the most recent London guide; we sent a few copies to Tim when it first came out. Ben is certainly missed!

As I am going back to London again (27th time) I was going to refer to Ben's lecture list. That is how I have found out about his passing. He was a wonderful man and I emailed him numerous times. He will be missed. He always had something new for someone to explore even those of us who think we have "been there, done that".

It is now 2008 in Europe -- the first year without Ben Haines.

I've been away from Fodors for quite a while, but I'm very saddened to hear of Ben's passing. He was one in a million.

I have also been away from the Forum for a while. Your Uncle was a great help to me when I had a question about buying silver demi-tasse spoons in London. I thought having those as "souveniers", since we don't use them in the US, would bring back nice memories of our trip to London. Ben told me about a number of great places one of which if, I remember correctly, was the Silver Vault. It was located in an area of London I had never seen, so my trip to buy spoons turned out to be a sight seeing excursion also. He was a great man!

I am using three old emails Ben sent me detailling London walks for my trip tomorrow. He is gone and truly missed. But his good works remain. Here's to you, Ben!

I haven't been reading much on the Europe board lately but came across this.

Ben helped numerous times with various aspects of our European trips.

He was also a big help when my daughter (Kimberley) was planning a London wedding.

I was shocked and addened to hear of his passing.

Topping for those who may not have known Mr. haines

It was a pleasure sir...

It was a very sad but seemed appropriate to attend Ben Haines' funeral service and when I did so attempted to represent, in person, the many folks here who were able to benefit from his sage travel advice.

A lovely ceremony with many fitting tributes to this man who is certainly still sorely missed.