Dear all,

My uncle, Ben Haines, who was a regular participant on this site, died on 27 Feb 07. There will be a memorial service for him in London in around 3 weeks time to which everyone is welcome to attend. Further details will be available by emailing me.

Sincere apologies if I have broken any of the rules here (this is my first and only posting).

Yours,

Tim 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.