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Obit : Brian Davidson - please help notify family
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Subject: Obit : Brian Davidson - Appeal From: GUEST,Gweltas1 Date: 10 Feb 09 - 02:51 AM It is with deep sadness that I announce the recent death of my friend Brian Davidson, Bodhrán player with Cornwall's Bolingey Troyl Band. He was one of nature's gentlemen and will be sorely missed by all who were fortunate to know him. He lived alone was found dead in his bed in his apartment in the village of Chacewater. Though born (10/5/1947) and brought up in London, Brian was very proud of his Scottish ancestry. He trained as a specialist lens maker and worked for a Jewish owned spectacles (eyeglasses) company and he was actively involved in the folk/traditional Irish music scene in London for many years. He moved to Cornwall approximately 22 years ago, initially living in the Perranporth area, where he grew and supplied vegetables to local shops and became a member of the Bolingey Troyl Band. He subsequently moved to a caravan near Goonhavern and was re-homed in a council apartment in Chacewater just over 5 years ago. At the time of writing, the Coroner's Office in Truro has not yet released his body to an undertaker, but as soon as that happens I will post the funeral arrangements here. A post-mortem examination has concluded that Brian's death was due to natural causes. I send my sincere condolences to any of his family and friends who may read this post. I understand that the authorities here in Cornwall are urgently seeking to locate any members of Brian's family. Brian rarely spoke about his family, and I know he was out of contact with them for many years, so my information is very scanty indeed. All I know is that his parents are deceased and that he had just one sibling, a sister, who was 7 years older than him, who married and had at least 2 children, but I cannot recollect him ever mentioning her name, or the name of her husband, nor where they lived. I'm making an URGENT APPEAL to anyone who may have contact details for Brian's sister, or for any other relatives of his, to please advise her/them of his death and request her/them to to contact the police in Truro, or even to e-mail me at : kennedytruscott @ btinternet.com (without the spaces) I have seen and marvelled at the power of the mudcat and it's wonderful 'catters to perform absolute miracles in the past and I'm fervently hoping that they will rise to the challenge in this instance. The only additional information I have that might be useful is that Brian was of medium height, wore spectacles, was bearded and wore his full head of sandy coloured hair very long and tied back in a pony tail. He always wore a hat. If I knew how to post a photo of him here I would, but I don't know how to. Sorry. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the 'catters can help. Best wishes to you all, Anne XX |
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Subject: RE: Obit : Brian Davidson From: GUEST,Gweltas1 Date: 10 Feb 09 - 07:49 PM Refresh |
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Subject: RE: Obit : Brian Davidson From: katlaughing Date: 10 Feb 09 - 07:53 PM Anne, if you'd like to send me a photo at wyndwords @ yahoo.com (without the spaces), I will post it at an off-site spot where I have other Mudcat-related photos. My condolences to you and his family and friends. Sounds as if he was a very interesting and talented person. kat |
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Subject: RE: Obit : Brian Davidson - please help notify family From: Richard Atkins Date: 10 Feb 09 - 10:19 PM Anne .I trust Catters can help you at this sad time. A cencus search should show Brian as a sibling with his sister and give her full name .Brian Davidson Born 10-05-47 is a start. Electorol roll search search on her name may then find current address ,This would apply to her daughters as well . FAMILY HISTORY CATTERS pm your results to Anne as you will be faster than me! Thughts and condolences to you Richard |
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Subject: RE: Obit : Brian Davidson - please help notify family From: GUEST,Gweltas1 Date: 10 Feb 09 - 10:27 PM Thanks so much, Kat, I have e-mailed you the photo. I'm still hoping to get in touch with any of Brian's family. Bless you! Anne XX |
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Subject: RE: Obit : Brian Davidson - please help notify family From: katlaughing Date: 10 Feb 09 - 10:29 PM Oops, I just sent you an email from my other addy. No problem, just disregard that email. I will go get the photo and get it up pronto.Thanks for sending it and I hope it helps some. |
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Subject: RE: Obit : Brian Davidson - please help notify family From: katlaughing Date: 10 Feb 09 - 10:36 PM Anne, it hasn't come through, yet, to the above addy. If you want to send it again to the gmail addy that would be good. Sorry for the delay. |
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Subject: RE: Obit : Brian Davidson - please help notify family From: GUEST,Gweltas1 Date: 10 Feb 09 - 10:39 PM Thanks very much, Richard, for taking the time to help. Unfortunately I am a technological neanderthal when it comes to computers and can barely manage e-mailing, so I'm hoping that some kind 'catters may be more skilled in accessing and navigating census/electoral roll records, as you suggest. Bless you, Anne XX |
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Subject: RE: Obit : Brian Davidson - please help notify family From: GUEST,Gweltas1 Date: 10 Feb 09 - 10:50 PM Dear Kat, I have now mailed the photo to the gmail address, and thanks for the prompt response at this late hour ! Bless you, Anne XX |
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Subject: RE: Obit : Brian Davidson - please help notify family From: katlaughing Date: 10 Feb 09 - 10:59 PM Here you go: Brian in Cornwall. |
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Subject: RE: Obit : Brian Davidson - please help notify family From: Brakn Date: 11 Feb 09 - 06:17 AM You will not be able to look at a census for that time. If you're trying to trace his sister you'll have to search Births in 1940, if she's seven years older and then hope she had an unusual christian name. Perhaps then you'd be able to trace her marriage, maybe 1958 - 1970ish. |
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Subject: RE: Obit : Brian Davidson - please help notify family From: Brakn Date: 11 Feb 09 - 06:36 AM Ok - So there are 2 Brian Davidsons born in that period of 1947. One born in Brentford and one in Birmingham. The one in Brentford looks the more likely. His mother's maiden name is Simpson. If his sister is seven years older, there is only one that fits with the same mother's maiden name, Judith who was born in Penrith. Could that be possible? |
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Subject: RE: Obit : Brian Davidson - please help notify family From: Brakn Date: 11 Feb 09 - 06:43 AM Looked for Judiths's marriage and looks that it's not the right family. so forget the last two posts!! Need a bit more info. |
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Subject: RE: Obit : Brian Davidson - please help notify family From: katlaughing Date: 11 Feb 09 - 02:23 PM refresh |
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Subject: RE: Obit : Brian Davidson - please help notify family From: GUEST,Gweltas1 Date: 11 Feb 09 - 09:40 PM Dear Brakn, How very kind of you to make the effort to help, bless you ! Today I turned up further information which may be of help. I now know that Brian's father's name was William Leslie (Lesley? Lesleigh?) Davidson and that his mother's name was Isabel(Isobel?) Davidson, nee Simpson. Sorry but I'm unsure of how their names were spelled. Their address was 30 Twickenham Road, Isleworth, at the time of Brian's birth (10/5/'47) and Brian's birth was definitely registered at the Isleworth Registry Office. Being unacquainted with London geography...... is Brentford anywhere near Isleworth? So I think that you were on the correct track, because of finding the SIMPSON name ......... therefore it is very likely that his sister's name is in fact JUDITH !! Both of Brian's grandfathers were SCOTTISH and I think that his father was also born in Scotland. It is entirely possible that Judith WAS born in Penrith, Cumbria, either because the parents lived there initially, or that with the outbreak of WW2 Brian's pregnant mother may have felt unsafe, on her own, in London, with her husband away, and gone north to stay with relatives to see out her first pregnancy. I know that Brian's father was a concientious objector and though he was in the military from early on in the war (don't know in which branch of the services) he refused to carry a gun and worked out the war as a military stretcher bearer. When he was demobbed at the end of the war he trained as an Optician or as a Pharmacist (I can't recall which it was, sorry) this training being funded by the the military. (Having grown up in Ireland and only moved to Cornwall in 1995....... I'm not altogether au fait with this training scheme for ex service personnel, so hopefully you will know what I'm talking about!) Brian's father owned an Optician's or Chemist's shop and the family lived in the same premises. He died suddenly from a massive heart attack when Brian was only 12 years old, leaving his family in extremely precarious financial circumstances (I don't know the reasons why). Brian was under the impression that his father was a mason, but for reasons unknown, his fellow masons apparently inexplicably failed to come to the family's aid. However, the kindly members of a local chapter of a completely different masonic type organisation, called the Royal Antidiluvian Order of Buffaloes (a.k.a."The Buffs") stepped into the breach and were of considerable on-going financial help and support to the bereaved family. Brian often told me how profoundly grateful he was to this oganisation for their help. Brian also mentioned that one of his Scottish grandfathers, who was a very very staunch Scottish Presbyterian, moved south to live out his remaining years with Brian's family. This happened while Brian's father was still living and Brian told me a very funny story of his late father's trojan and thankless attempts to locate a church in London that the very hard to please grandfather would be happy to attend ! One of Brian's friends reminded me that at one time Brian worked for a while for Mars Inc. at their factory in Slough (manufacturers of "Mars Bars"). He also reminded me that, in the Perranporth area where Brian first lived when he came to Cornwall, the local people knew him as "Rainbow Brian" because he had a much loved dog called Rainbow ! It occurred to me that if Brian already owned the dog BEFORE he moved to Cornwall, that this might serve to jog people's memories because of the dog having such an unusual name ? I have also recollected that Brain mentioned a first cousin called Ian (or Iain ?) who was born some months prior to Brian's birth, but again I have no further information on this. Brian's body remains in the hospital morgue in Truro, though official release for eventual cremation has now been given. I have spoken with the funeral director concerned and it will be at least three days or possibly even longer before he will be moved to the funeral home and a minimum of a further three days, for technical reasons, before cremation can take place, so there is still a small breathing space for my hoped for miracle of tracing his sister, or any other relatives, to happen. I am very grateful to you, dear Brakn, for the time and energy you have devoted to searching for information and I am hoping that you may be willing to try a further search with the new information here. If not ........ my thanks for what you have done so far, but if you are willing to continue ......I will personally re-pay you for any search fees, or phone calls, you may need to make. Mudcatter "Katlaughing" has my e-mail address and my full postal address and I will e-mail my phone number to her with permission to pass this information to you, so that IF you wish to continue to help, you will know how to locate me in order to recover any expenses you may incur. As a mere GUEST on Mudcat I cannot send you a private message, but Kat can. Many thanks again to Kat, Richard, and to you, Brakn, for your kindness to me in this sad situation. Very Best Regards, Anne XX |
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Subject: RE: Obit : Brian Davidson - please help notify family From: Barbara Date: 11 Feb 09 - 10:37 PM My dear, you don't have to do anything other than sign up to become a member here and get private messages. I think you just go to the log in link at the top of the page and click on that, but it's been a long time since I had to do that, so my memory may be bad. I'm sure someone here will be glad to speak up if my information is inaccurate. Blessings, Barbara |
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Subject: RE: Obit : Brian Davidson - please help notify family From: maeve Date: 11 Feb 09 - 10:55 PM That's correct, Barbara. Anne, here's the link if you wish to become a Mudcat member: http://www.mudcat.org/member/EntryForm.cfm I hope you will find the help you seek. maeve |
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Subject: RE: Obit : Brian Davidson - please help notify family From: GUEST,Gweltas1 Date: 12 Feb 09 - 12:33 AM I would love to be a full member of the Mudcat but that is easier said than done, Barbara and Maeve !! The problem is that I attempted to join some years ago, but something went wrong, (I'm not very computer literate!) so now when I attempt to log in ....... it tells me there is no record of my name, BUT when I try to sign up to join as a new member it tells me that my email address is already in the database !! I have no idea how to solve this and, incidentally, I don't understand the references to cookies either, or where to find them, so I'm stymied !! About the only solution that I can figure would be if a mudcat Admin completely deleted my earlier attempt at joining, so that I could start from scratch. If anyone knows what I should do perhaps they might explain it to me in step by step terms. Bless you both for caring !! XX
-Joe Offer, Forum Moderator- joe@mudcat.org |
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Subject: RE: Obit : Brian Davidson - please help notify family From: Gweltas Date: 12 Feb 09 - 03:01 AM Dear Joe Offer, Many many thanks for sorting out my registration problems and e-mailing me. I am no longer a mere Guest but a fully fledged 'catter. Wow !! |
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Subject: RE: Obit : Brian Davidson - please help notify family From: Brakn Date: 12 Feb 09 - 06:29 AM William L Davidson married Isobel Simpson in Fulham in 1933. They had a daughter, Kathleen in 1937, registered in Marylebone. I've searched marriages from 1956 to 1961 for Kathleen's marriage and have come up with these. 1956 - 1961 1956 Married a Wilson in Hackney 1956 Married a Penfold in Dartford 1956 Married a Greenwood in Newbury 1960 Married a Nevitt in Brighton 1961 Married a Wood in Ware. As you can see you could carry on all day. Still need more info. |
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Subject: RE: Obit : Brian Davidson - please help notify family From: Gweltas Date: 12 Feb 09 - 08:48 AM Dear Brakn, In view of your last message I again contacted Carrick District Council, asking if any further information had been found in the papers that the Council had removed from Brian's apartment and I was told that there was almost no personal information contained therein. All that was found was.............. A :a letter from his doctor's office concerning a diabetic clinic appointment (I checked and Brian did not list any next of kin when he registered with his medical practice) B : a letter from the Passport office concerning his missing passport. C : a copy of his Birth Cert , which he had applied for last year , when he turned 60. He always wore a sort of multi pocketed sleeveless jacket he called it his "coat of many pockets". He carried a small notebook/diary in one of the pockets and anything important was duly written in there, but it seems that he was either wearing that jacket when he died or that it was close enough to his body that it was destroyed by the sanitation crew when his body was discovered. |
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Subject: RE: Obit : Brian Davidson - please help notify family From: Gweltas Date: 12 Feb 09 - 09:17 AM OOOOPS ! I posted the above message by accident, before I had finished what I had intended to say ..... Sorry !! All that I was going to say, Brakn, was that it is time to draw a line under the search and that I'm deeply grateful for all your time and effort on my behalf. May God bless you and your loved ones for your kindness. I have now accepted that tracing Brian's sister Kathleen is not going to be possible from the scanty information that I was able to supply. If she is still living, she is now either 71 or 72 years of age and perhaps it is a merciful thing that she and her family remain unaware of her brother's passing. I will now contact the funeral director and tell him to proceed with the arrangements for Brian's cremation. Once I have the details I will post them here and I will notify all of his friends and fellow musicians. We intend to give him a fine send off. Thanks again to all mudcatters who responded to this thread. Anne XX |
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Subject: RE: Obit : Brian Davidson - please help notify family From: Gweltas Date: 13 Feb 09 - 05:03 AM Our friend BRIAN DAVIDSON's cremation ceremony will take place in Penmount Crematorium at 4.30 pm on Friday, February 20th. Penmount's phone number is : 01872 272871. The funeral director is Mr.Courtney Johns and his phone number is : 01872 225511 The ceremony will be a Humanist celebration of Brian's life, with music, song and a pause for quiet reflection and/or silent prayer. Please bring your voices and instruments. After the ceremony it is anticipated that we shall retire to a pub to toast Brian's life, and to remember him. LOCATION OF PENMOUNT :- PENMOUNT CREMATORIUM is situated on the A39, Truro to Newquay road, two miles north of the city of Truro. A bus service (Truro to Newquay) passes the entrance and visitors using this service should alight at Penmount Lodge. |
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Subject: RE: Obit : Brian Davidson - please help notify family From: My guru always said Date: 13 Feb 09 - 05:59 AM Anne, bless you for trying and for caring so much about your friend Brian. He was blessed by having such friends and I'm sure he will have a loving send-off even if his relative is not traced by the 20th. Well done for trying! |
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Subject: RE: Obit : Brian Davidson - please help notify family From: Gweltas Date: 13 Feb 09 - 07:58 AM Dear My guru always said, Many thanks for your kind message. All of us down here were equally blessed in having Brian as a friend and, if the situation had been reversed, I know full well that Brian would have done the same for me. He was highly regarded and much loved by his friends and fellow musicians, not only here in Cornwall, but in also in other parts of the Celtic world. He also took great joy in planting and growing things, but did not have a garden of his own, so he took on and really transformed my rather neglected garden. When I received the news of his death there was snow on the ground here and the green shoots of bulbs he'd planted last year were just peeping through their snow blanket. It sorely grieves me that he will never see them bloom. His "Cornish Family" of friends and acquaintences will ensure he gets a "Proper Job" send off next Friday. In the continuing absence of blood relatives, I have received permission to collect his ashes and there will be another ceremonial gathering of his friends, at a later date, to scatter his ashes in the Perranporth Valley where, for many years, he and his beloved dog "Rainbow" so thoroughly enjoyed their daily rambles. |
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Subject: RE: Obit : Brian Davidson - please help notify family From: Gweltas Date: 13 Feb 09 - 06:30 PM refresh |
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Subject: RE: Obit : Brian Davidson - please help notify family From: Richard Atkins Date: 14 Feb 09 - 09:18 PM Anne you have done so much for Brian on this thread ,well done .Such a shame I didnt know him though, my loss. Guru and Myself will be in Sidmouth for the 2009 Reunion on 20 Feb weekend. You may wish to post on that thread. They will be playimg at the Radway and some will I am shure will raise a glass for Brian. I will xx |
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Subject: RE: Obit : Brian Davidson - please help notify family From: Gweltas Date: 15 Feb 09 - 10:34 PM Refresh |
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Subject: RE: Obit : Brian Davidson - please help notify family From: Gweltas Date: 17 Feb 09 - 03:48 AM I will continue to refresh this thread daily till Friday in the hope that some friends or relatives of Brian may stumble across it, and get in touch in time to attend his cremation ceremony. |
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Subject: RE: Obit : Brian Davidson - please help notify family From: Gweltas Date: 17 Feb 09 - 08:40 PM refresh |
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Subject: RE: Obit : Brian Davidson - please help notify family From: Gweltas Date: 18 Feb 09 - 09:00 PM refresh |
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Subject: RE: Obit : Brian Davidson - please help notify family From: My guru always said Date: 19 Feb 09 - 05:46 AM Just to say that I hope the sun shines tomorrow for Brian and his friends. Celebrate well, we'll raise a glass in the Middle Bar at Sidmouth tomorrow evening! Hil & richard |
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Subject: RE: Obit : Brian Davidson - please help notify family From: Herga Kitty Date: 19 Feb 09 - 04:58 PM Refresh, and I'll be raising a glass with Hil & Richard tomorrow! Kitty |
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Subject: RE: Obit : Brian Davidson - please help notify family From: Gweltas Date: 22 Feb 09 - 07:57 PM Thanks to Herga Kitty, My guru always said, and Richard, for their recent kind messages. It was a consolation that glasses were raised for Brian in Sidmouth. There were over 100 people at the crematorium on Friday and the coffin was lead in with Merv Davey playing a lament on his Cornish Bagpipes. I gave the eulogy and Chris Terry, Mo Keast, Chris and Mary Humphries all contributed songs that Brian loved. We later re assembled at the Bolingey Inn where there was a music session and a singing session and glasses were raised. It was the sort of send off which I had hoped would happen and, on Brian's behalf, I wish to thank all who came to pay their respects and especially those who contributed their voices and music. Brian's "Cornish family" really did him proud. Thanks again to all the kind Mudcatters who tried to help in the search for Brian's relatives, and who left such lovely messages. May God bless you all. Anne XX |
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Subject: RE: Obit : Brian Davidson - please help notify family From: Herga Kitty Date: 22 Feb 09 - 08:03 PM Thanks Anne - just to confirm (now back from Sidmouth) that we did raise our glasses to Brian on Friday evening. Glad to hear that he had a good sendoff. Kitty |
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