Anthony Messervy

ANTHONY Messervy was born in Jersey in February 1936 at St Martin’s House, the eldest son of ‘Billie’ and Professor Albert Messervy.

He was evacuated at the age of four on the last plane to leave the Island, in May 1940, before the arrival of the German occupying forces.

After living in various locations in the UK during the war, due to his father’s various veterinary appointments, Tony returned to Jersey and started his education at Victoria College Prep before moving on to the senior school.

Having completed his secondary education at Bradfield school, in England, he read law at Bristol University, but not before he saw active service in Malaysia in 1955 at the age of 18 as a commissioned officer in the Somerset Light Infantry, for which he was awarded the general service medal.

Tony started his professional career as a solicitor in London before returning to Jersey and qualifying as an advocate in 1977, while with the law firm of Ogier and Le Cornu. After a further brief spell in the City of London working for Reynolds Porter Chamberlain, Tony returned to Jersey in 1979 and joined Le Masurier, Giffard and Poch where, although a general practitioner, he began to specialise in criminal and matrimonial law.

Tony always championed the cause of the underdog and had amazing empathy and a profound social conscience. He was completely unpretentious and self-effacing and possessed a wonderful ability to deflate pomposity which he made the most of at every available opportunity.

Probably due to the somewhat jaundiced insights that Tony had gleaned of matrimonial life, through his legal practice, he never married. He did however place great store in and received such loving support from his relationship with his parents and his siblings Mike and Rosemary and their respective families.

Tony was a fun-loving eccentric who had a nickname for everybody and as his niece, Melissa, remarked at what can only be described as a uniquely uplifting funeral, ‘you should rest uneasy if you did not know yours’.

A great raconteur, Tony’s company would always be sought out at any social gathering, as you knew that you would be entertained and amused by his numerous anecdotes – many of which were against himself – and his incisive impish humour. Tony was one of life’s real characters – a Rumpole of the Bailiwick – and the world will be a much poorer place for his parting.
CRR