Havant’s “Mr. IBM” John Huffell who was pillar of Portsmouth community dies aged 91

John Huffell was instrumental in bringing an IBM plant to Havant in 1966, which employed thousands of people in the area. He served as director at the building for 16 years, growing the workforce from around 300 people to roughly 3,000 during that time. John passed away at his home in Old Portsmouth on Saturday, July 30, from cancer.

John’s widow Patricia Huffell has been sent more than 65 cards of condolence from well-wishers, many of whom were helped by her late husband during his life. She expressed that “his death diminishes us all.”

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Patricia said: “He had a life well lived. He was so involved in all sorts of things – he was a great supporter of women in management. Those are the things I’m reading [in the cards] - that he was such a gentleman, and so wise. People are saying it was a privilege to have known him.

“He used to be called “Mr. IBM” with the Havant plant because he found the greenfield site for IBM and persuaded the government to let them build it back in the 1960s. He drove the thing, and it was one of the most successful IBM manufacturing plants in Europe.

"He was an exceedingly nice man and he will be greatly missed by many people.”

In 1974, when John was 43, IBM staff invited HRH Queen Elizabeth II to see the successful Havant premises – and John had the privilege of showing her around the facility. The plant ceased trading and closed its doors in 1994, after being just one of two sites in the UK to manufacture IBM computers and computer parts.

John, originally from London, was involved in many projects in Portsmouth over the years, including the raising of the Mary Rose wreck. He was also a governor of Portsmouth Polytechnic – now the University of Portsmouth – and a dedicated advocate for education through charity ventures like the Young Enterprise scheme.

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Patricia said: “He was with her for about an hour and a half, showing her around and chatting. Though he was a very successful man, he was a very modest man. He was a very courteous gentleman. [At IBM] he had a sum of money every year to allocate to good causes, and he was very thorough in making sure the money was going to things that really would help the young and education.”

Patricia, who was married to John for 42 years, said her late husband defied doctors’ expectations and remained active during his illness. A keen sportsman who enjoyed football, squash, tennis and swimming, John was the inaugural seniors’ captain of the Cam’s Hall Golf Club, where he played for many years.

Patricia added: “He was diagnosed in 2019 and given a year but he completely confounded the medics – he was still playing golf last September.”

She further expressed that, being a modest man, John would scarcely believe how many people are mourning his loss. A public funeral service will be held at Portsmouth Cathedral, on at 2pm on Wednesday, August 30.