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 [email protected] 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.