It was not most pleasant circumstance or pleasant environment in which I met Brian. I am so glad I did though!! Ward 6B, Yeovil Hospital. October 2022. I sat there with my lovely dad, for what felt like hour after hour, while he quietly got more and more ill and confused. I noticed a man sitting opposite him, with his very distinctive tinted glasses. Brian. He would occasionally give me the "thumbs up" or told me that he was popping out to the post office (he wasn't). I got to know Rita and admired the way she dealt with the staff at the hospital. I loved the care that she still put into his clothes and appearance. Brian was still Brian and was not going to be left sitting in mismatched hospital pyjamas! On Saturday, 5th November, I stayed with my dad for a lot of the day. My dad was very quiet but Brian was hilarious. As well as a performance of "Rivers of Babylon" (a fine song) he was cheecky and funny with the nurses. I think he fell that night though and certainly wasn't quite the same afterwards. But his spirit was still there. Rita, although she probably doesn't realise, was a huge help to me. In that horrible, undignified ward, she showed my lovely dad care, kindness and compassion. She helped him to eat and helped him brush his hair and made him comfortable in bed. Rita knew my dad was intelligent and a gentleman. How much that meant to both of us. Thank you to both of you and God Bless.

I first met Brian within weeks of him moving into Mount Pleasant Rd in Tottenham with his brother Len, shortly after they left Dr Barnardo’s , there are obviously lots of memories in all the years I knew Brian, but a few that stand out . when we belonged to All Hallows Church youth club we were threatened consistently by a local gang, on one occasion they walked into the club and just like a western movie stood in a row making threats, Brian muttered something and the bully of this lot came up and pushed him hard in the chest, Brian stood stock still and whacked him hard round the face, after that they left, but this was Brian through and through, somebody not to take liberties with. On another occasion we were at Butlins holiday camp in Minehead and on the last night there after several beers, we thought it would be a good idea to take down the Union Jack from the pole at the front of the building ,however when down ,we realised the size of it , it was huge and realising the trouble we would be in took it back to our chalet and folded it into a suitcase putting all our clothes in another, Petrified of being caught we decided the only thing to do was to take it home, on the way out I noticed that Brian had two white marks on his trouser where he had been up the pole and walked closely behind him away from security, something we laughed about a lot. I miss Brian and say unashamedly that I loved the guy. Vic Shaw