It is with great sadness that Joint-Forces records the passing of our good friend Julian Nettlefold, owner and publisher of Battlespace Publications, writes Bob Morrison
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In addition to publishing Battlespace for three decades, a magazine which I contributed to as a freelancer several times over the years, Julian also founded defence PR company Sky-Net Public Relations back in the mid-1980s. Last week he passed away in hospital in London after a comparatively short battle with illness.
Julian’s path first crossed mine over forty years ago while I was undertaking my early research into military Land Rovers ~ I picked his brains because he had worked with SMC who produced a 6×6 conversion that influenced the design of the Australian Army Perentie fleet ~ and we pretty much hit it off from the start because of our mutual interests. As a publisher he could admittedly be a tad difficult to work with (aren’t they all?) and because of his lack of patience at times some could find him to be just a little on the irritating side, but peel back that gruff exterior and you could find a true and generous friend hiding underneath.
My fondest memory of Julian dates back a dozen years to a balmy May evening in 2012 as Ramilla and I were strolling to dinner at a little family restaurant near our hotel in Amman and a taxi pulled up alongside us. Julian stuck his head out of the the front passenger side window and shouted: “Jump in you two. Dinner’s on me. My driver says he knows the best place in all of Jordan for fine steak and red wine.” To cut a very long story short, after almost an hour of fighting through rush hour traffic across the capital city with a hungry Old Etonian in the front seat becoming increasingly bad-tempered, our cab pulled up in front of a branch of McDonald’s with a wine store conveniently next door. “Here Sir,” said the driver, paraphrasing the television advert, “they serve the very best prime American steak!” Those who knew our recently departed friend will well imagine the ensuing sparks. We laughed about that one for years.
Farewell old friend. Tonight the Joint-Forces Team will be raising a glass or two in your memory.
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