OneGuyFromBarlick

Mike and Audrey were our two closest friends in France, we socialised a lot and they helped us considerably in the early days

Sudden death has its advantages for the victim but is hard on the survivors. I feel for you Sue.

The story gets more tragic, Mike was on the phone to his wife from hospital when he said he had a bad head and a pain in his chest. He collapsed and the medics could not revive him.

Oh that is awful, how distressing for his poor wife.

I feel totally useless over here!

David Coleman has died. He will have one permanent memorial, 'Colemanballs' in Private Eye. (LINK)

My Dad knew David Coleman, he met him years ago when Dad worked for Burnley F.C.

RIP John Fortune

RIP Phil Everly aged 74. Nolic

The great Eusebio has died at the age of 71. Nolic

Simon Hoggart RIP

Sorry to hear about Simon. He was only 67 and is survived by his father Richard who is 95. We (SG and Richard) met once and had a correspondence for years. One of my bookmarks is a nice post card form him.....

Run Run Shaw has died aged 107. Didn't realise he made Bladerunner. (LINK)

It's gone a bit spooky again - I'd not hear of Run Run Shaw for the best part of fifty years then twice in one day. I'm reading the autobiography of Lee Kuan Yew, who speaking of the Japanese occupation, says . . .

The lucky ones were contractors whom the Japanese needed to obtain basic supplies, or who were in building construction. The luckiest and most prosperous of all were those like the Shaw brothers, who were given the licence or franchise to run gambling farms in the amusement parks the Great World and the New World. For a deprived and depressed population facing the prospect of mass destruction and death in one, two or three years when the British returned to oust the Japanese, gambling was a wonderful opiate. It was amazing how much time people spent in these gambling farms, and how much money they inevitably lost to the bankers in this simple way. As existence was uncertain, all games of chance were favoured. Life itself had become a game of chance.

George William "Bill" Haworth. Born 1923 in Barnoldswick, ex Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm and veteran of the WW2 Atlantic Convoys. Bill died peacefully in the Craven Care Home on Christmas Eve 2013. This morning I attended his funeral at Waltonwrays, Skipton and heard the remarkable story of his life. He had climbed mountains, scuba dived, and driven in motor rally's all over the world. He was also a keen motorcyclist and trials rider, and one of his more recent pleasures was flying as a passenger in microlight aircraft. His Widow, Doris, lives close by, and I got to know her and Bill due to the research work on WW1, she is related by descent from 3 of the victims of the Rohilla disaster. A good Man with a wonderful family.

Roger Lloyd-Pack, Trigger from Only Fools and Horses aged 69. Nolic

He was a funny man. Gave me a laugh whatever he was in....

Chris Chataway, aged 82. One of the first Great Runners for Britain.

Pete Seeger is dead. (LINK) I met him in NY and NJ and he was a nice bloke.

I'll dig out my Weavers LP later. Here's a link to a favourite clip - Pete Seeger can be seen playing banjo in the accompanying group.

Appallachian clog dance. Newport Festival.

RIP Shirley Temple

RIP Sir Tom Finney. A true gentleman gone to join his beloved wife who he visited every day when she was in a care home. Nolic

Bill Shankly said he could have played wearing an overcoat and still have been superb. Good plumber too.....

Never having been a fan of the football game. It was a great pleasure to meet Tom Finney, I might never have appreciated his footballing skills, but I appreciated a few minutes in his company, a very nice gentleman Rest well Sir.

Nice story about Tom on R4 the other day. He was playing in a friendly and the man he was marking was playing his first match after being off with a badly broken leg. Tom went to him and said he hoped he could get match fit again and promised that he wouldn't be tackling too hard. There was no way he was going to be responsible for giving him more trouble.

Maria von Trapp, the last survivor of the singing family portrayed in 'The Sound of Music' has died aged 99 in Vermont.
My abiding memory of the Sound of Music is the Dave Allen sketch where, as the singing family crested the rise of a green hill, hand in hand, a machine gun opens up and mows them down.....