Thursday 31 December 2015

In Memoriam: November and December 2015



2nd November 2015 – Mike Davies, 79




Welsh tennis player who made it to the Fourth Round of Wimbledon in 1954. In the doubles, he reached the 1960 Wimbledon final, the same year he was ranked British Number One. He was later banned for turning professional.



“Davies, still the only Welsh player to have reached a Wimbledon final, had learnt to play the game on the municipal courts at Cwmdonkin Park in his native Swansea. Discovered in junior competitions by Fred Perry, he became Britain’s number one player in 1956 and, from 1955 to 1960, won 15 of 22 Davis Cup singles and nine of 15 doubles (with Billy Knight, Roger Becker or Bobby Wilson). In 1960 he and Wilson reached the final of the Men’s Doubles at Wimbledon, where they were cheered on by the crowd but beaten in straight sets by the Mexican Rafael Osuna and the American Denis Ralston. Davies was never popular with the powers-that-be in the Lawn Tennis Association, however. “It was mutual,” he recalled later. “They couldn’t stand the sight of me and I couldn’t stand the sight of them. End of story.” Davies had good reason for his hostility, though he admitted that he had sometimes been his own worst enemy. In his autobiography Tennis Rebel (1961), he recalled that as a teenager he had hated losing so much that he was prone to throwing John McEnroe-style tantrums. This outraged the LTA, who, he claimed, wanted “little Lord Fauntleroys who would say 'Yes-sir-no-sir-three-bags-full’ at the drop of a hat”. As a result, the “Cwmdonkin Rebel” was dropped from the LTA’s training scheme and had his funding withdrawn.”
Telegraph obit



2nd November 2015 – Peter Donaldson, 70




BBC radio newsreader.

Wednesday 30 December 2015

2015 In Memoriam: Charles Kennedy


1st June 2015 – Charles Kennedy, 55

("Charles kennedy feb 2009" by Moniker42 - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons )




“Paddy Ashdown is the only party leader who was a trained killer. Although, to be fair, Mrs Thatcher was self-taught.”
Charles Kennedy



Tuesday 29 December 2015

Monday 28 December 2015

2015 In Memoriam: Anthony Read



21st November 2015 – Anthony Read, 80





“I’ve been living as a writer one way or another since 1956, when I came out of the army, though I started writing intitially for a series called Police Surgeon* which starred Ian Hendry. I then became a writer and went to Fleet Street.”
Anthony Read, DWM168, 1990



In Memoriam: October 2015


1st October 2015 – Joe Wark, 67


Scottish footballer who played over 460 matches as a defender for Motherwell between 1968 and 1984. In later years, he campaigned to help people suffering from dementia, a condition he himself suffered from.


“Remember Well aims to use strong football heritage to improve the lives of people with dementia. The project now holds weekly football focused reminiscence meetings at Fir Park and other venues across North Lanarkshire. Dr Alastair Cook, associate medical director for NHS Lanarkshire, said: "How very special it is that the first 'memory book' is produced by Joe Wark, a Motherwell Football legend. "Helping people live well with dementia requires a much wider community approach and the Remember Well programme is an excellent and inspiring example of this." Councillor Sam Love added: "Through this project, we can raise awareness about dementia and support those people experiencing the condition to lead a fuller and more enjoyable life. Joe is a true gentleman with a terrific sense of humour and his book is a fascinating insight into his football story."”
Douglas Barrie, Joe Wark remembers 'Well with new book to help people with dementia, STV 15 May 2013


Saturday 26 December 2015

2015 In Memoriam: Denis Healey

3rd October 2015 – Denis Healey, 98

("Denis Healey" by Rob Mieremet - . Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 nl via Commons



Labour politician who was MP for Leeds South East from 1952 to 1955 and Leeds East from 1955 to 1992.


In Memoriam: September 2015







1st September 2015 – Dean Jones, 84





Actor who was the human star of The Love Bug, the Disney film that launched Herbie the car. 







Thursday 24 December 2015

In Memoriam: August 2015

1st August 2015 – Cilla Black, 72


TV Presenter who was a familiar face due to presenting Surprise Surprise and Blind Date.


Tuesday 22 December 2015

In Memoriam: Rowdy Roddy Piper



31st July 2015 – Roddy Piper, 61

("HOT ROD!" by Ming - originally posted to Flickr as HOT ROD!. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Commons - )


In Memoriam: July 2015


1st July 2015 – Sir Nicholas Winton, 106


British humanitarian.


Sunday 20 December 2015

2015 In Memoriam: Patrick Macnee

25th June 2015 – Patrick Macnee, 93


("Patrick Macnee Columbo 1975" by NBC Television - eBay itemphoto frontphoto back. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons - )



British actor best known for his role as John Steed in The Avengers.


Friday 18 December 2015

In Memoriam: June 2015


1st June 2015 – Tommy Rogers, 54


Pro-wrestler who was one half of The Fantastics with Bobby Fulton. He won twelve tag team titles.



“"I am totally devastated by this loss. Words can't even describe it. Tommy blessed me with an opportunity to be a part of one of the great tag teams of professional wrestling. He was one of the best athletes in the profession."
Bobby Fulton


Thursday 17 December 2015

2015 In Memoriam: Dusty Rhodes


11th June 2015 – Dusty Rhodes, 69


("Dusty" by Sedsa1 at en.wikipedia. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons - )



Wednesday 16 December 2015

2015 In Memoriam: Sir Christopher Lee


7th June 2015 – Christopher Lee, 93




("Christopher Lee at the Berlin International Film Festival 2013" by Avda - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons - )


Tuesday 15 December 2015

In Memoriam: May 2015


May 2015 – Bob Wareing, 84


Labour MP for Liverpool West Derby from 1983 to 2010.


1st May 2016 – Grace Lee Whitney, 85


Actress who played Janice Rand in Star Trek.


Monday 14 December 2015

Saturday 12 December 2015

2015 In Memoriam: Malcolm Fraser


20th March 2015 – Malcolm Fraser, 84



("MalcolmFraser1982" by Camera Operator: A1C MONTGOMERY. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons.)




Prime Minister of Australia from 1975 to 1983, and the beneficiary of Sir John Kerr’s move on Gough Whitlam. Whitlam and Fraser were sworn enemies, though they became friends later in life.


Thursday 10 December 2015

The Christmas Book of Ghosts (2015) published

The Christmas Book of Ghosts published last week, and has raised over £100 for charity.

You can find it here.


As way of welcome, I reprint my introduction here, in the hope it will entice more readers to look up our book, or, at the very least, donate some money to the charity.


Introduction
Michael S. Collins

In Memoriam: March 2015

1st March 2015 – Daniel von Bargen, 64


Troubled actor known for his roles as Commandant Spangler in Malcolm in the Middle and Kurger on Seinfeld.


1st March 2015 – Stuart McGrady, 29


Scottish footballer who played for Queens Park and Ayr United.


Monday 7 December 2015

2015 Glasgow buildings deadpool: an update

As it is now December, here is an update in our 2015 Glasgow buildings deadpool from January.


In order of doom (with my January thoughts italicized):


2015 In Memoriam: Sam Simon and Sir Terry Pratchett





8th March 2015 – Sam Simon, 59





American screenwriter and producer who worked on Taxi and Cheers, but became best known for his role in bringing The Simpsons to screen. He had risen to become the producer on both Taxi and Cheers, and met Matt Groening when he was the executive producer of The Tracey Ullman show. It was thought that Simon's superior knowledge of TV would be the yin to the yang of Groening’s artistic talents.



Wednesday 2 December 2015

In Memoriam: February 2015









1st February 2015 – Beryl Platt, 91


Mathematician, one of the first female aeronautics expert, and Conservative peer, Baroness Platt of Writtle.



“She was only 20, and a new Cambridge graduate, when in 1943 she joined Hawker Aircraft in its experimental flight test department at Langley, Berkshire, in top-secret work on fighter aircraft: the Hurricane, Typhoon, Tempest and Fury. She was present when the Last of the Many, the final Hawker Hurricane – an aircraft that had shot down more enemy aircraft in the Battle of Britain than the rest of UK air and ground defences combined – rolled off the production line in July 1944.”
Tom Corby, Guardian obit