Departures of note

Sam Alper, born in Forest Gate, London, in 1924, left school at 14 to study electrical engineering, a skill he used rewiring Swordfish biplanes while serving in the Fleet Air Arm during the Second World War. After the war, he joined his brother's caravan company, which he soon took over. Facing post-war material shortages, Alper built his first caravans from scavenged parts—magnesium wheels, Spitfire brakes, and barrage balloon roofs—but found them too expensive. In 1948, he launched the Sprite, a lighter, cheaper caravan towable by family saloons, selling for under £200. It was an immediate success, with 500 sold in its first year, and Alper promoted it through daring trips, including towing one to Florence in 1951 and a 10,000-mile Mediterranean journey in 1952 that involved being dug out of Sahara sand by tribesmen.

By 1963, Alper had built Caravans International, which expanded the Sprite brand across Europe, South Africa, Canada, and the US, earning the Queen's Award for Enterprise in 1966 and an OBE for export services. He also founded Little Chef in 1958, inspired by American diners, creating a chain of roadside restaurants that became a British institution before being sold to Gardner Merchant in the late 1960s. In 1966, Alper bought Chilford Hall in Linton, where he planted an 18-acre vineyard in 1972, established a winery, and later brought the Curwen Studio there in 1989, founding the Curwen Print Study Centre to teach printmaking to all ages. He also sent caravans to disaster zones, including 50 to Italian flood victims in the 1970s and nearly 200 to earthquake-hit Greece and Turkey in 1999, earning the Paul Harris Fellowship from the Rotary Club.

Alper's later years were marked by his philanthropy and cultural contributions. He was instrumental in setting up the Gibraltar Heritage Trust and the Friends of Gibraltar Heritage Society, and he established a family trust to buy instruments for young musicians. He died at home in Chilford Hall in 2002 at 78, leaving a legacy of innovation in caravans, dining, and viticulture.