Joe Randall: A Market Legend Remembered

Charing Cross Market has lost one of its most memorable characters with the recent passing of Joe Randall, former stall holder, RAF engineer, and Parachute Regiment veteran. Joe died peacefully at home, leaving behind his wife Christine (Chrissie) and their four children, all of whom had, at one time or another, helped run his well-known stall of cap badges, blazer badges and buttons.

Joe was a man of both service and stories. In 1944 he served as a Royal Air Force engineer in the Airfield Construction Branch, laying runways across newly liberated France and Germany. These hastily built airstrips were vital for Allied air cover – and they were prime targets for German counter-attack. Joe often spoke of the comrades he lost in those dangerous operations, but his memories were not without humour. He once recalled a German fighter pilot mistakenly landing on one of his newly prepared strips. Ushered away with the wry remark, “For you, the war is over,” the hapless airman looked, Joe said, as though he wanted the ground to swallow him.

At the market, Joe’s catchphrase was simple: “Are you happy?” He was always making sure his customers left with a smile as well as a badge. Veterans flocked to his stall, not only to buy but to share their own stories, giving younger traders the privilege of hearing history first-hand. He even supplied the Tower of London with large bullion Beefeater badges.

Joe’s brother Leonard shared the same spirit, serving with the SAS in Malaya, and together they embodied the quiet, understated character of a remarkable generation. For those who knew him at Charing Cross or London Bridge, Joe will be remembered not just as a trader, but as a friend and a gentleman.

UPDATE

We’ve since heard from those who knew Joe best. His funeral will be held at Exeter Crematorium on Monday 13th October, with the Royal Marines Band taking part in what promises to be a moving service of gratitude for one of the last surviving combat veterans of the Second World War.

One of Joe’s former fellow stallholders also shared a fond story from his days at London Bridge Market. When traders were given red tablecloths to make the stalls look more professional, Joe took a few “spares” home and cut them up to cover his badge display boards. They looked excellent, though his ingenuity didn’t entirely please the market manager at the time!