|
IN MEMORIAM
Brian Richard CONWAY 1927 to 2011 Army Technical School (Boys),
Arborfield, Intake 42A.
Brian on his 79th birthday,
28th March 2006. Cyprus.
From
the A.O.B.A. Forum. By
Trevor 52A » Fri Sep 16, 2011 8:45 pm Returning
from a visit to Alrewas this evening I found a
message on my answer machine. It was Pam, wife of Brian Conway 42A, to say
that Brian had died this morning in Cyprus where they had lived for many
years. The message was short but she did say that he will be buried on
Tuesday 20th September. Brian did not adopt the internet, preferring to type
his letters, usually 10 pages or more, on his trusty typewriter so it will be
difficult to get further information for a while. This
was a man who gave much more to Arborfield than he took. First A/Drum Major
appointed at the school, sportsman, returned as an instructor and resurrected
the Corps of Drums, boxing coach. To
appreciate just how much he gave back to the school, look at the number of
Brian Conway entries in the index of The Arborfield Apprentice. My
thoughts will be with Pam at this sad time. Stand
easy Brian, job well done, life lived to the full. Trevor
Stubberfield (52A) _____________________________________________________ by
Trevor 52A » Sat Sep 17, 2011 12:37 pm I
spoke to Pam Conway this morning to pass on our condolences. Brian died at
00.30hrs on the 16th of September 2011. He had been in hospital in Paphos for two weeks before he passed away. He was 84 of
the best years. The
service will be at 10.00hrs on Tuesday 20th September, a moment which we can
share with Brian's family, if only to keep them in our thoughts whilst
remembering a true Arborfield Boy. Trevor
Stubberfield (52A) _____________________________________________________ by
GregPeck53b » Fri Sep 16, 2011 10:30 pm A
sad day Trevor, another exceptional ex Brat taken from us. Brian epitomised
the best of what so many of our ilk became as they lived their lives, in
demonstrating a quiet, straightforward reliability that was applied to
everything he became involved with. Pam
and all of the Conway family can be justifiably proud of the man that he was.
We Arborfielders can take some justifiable pride in the fact
that he was one of us and while we sympathise most sincerely with Pam and
family for their personal grief and loss, we also need to appreciate and
acknowledge that Brian Conway was an exemplar amongst our ilk, for which we
are duly grateful. Rest
in Peace Brian. Greg Peck (53B) ______________________________________________________ by tonywilson56b » Fri Sep 16, 2011 10:49 pm RIP Brian. Thoughts are with Brian's family. Tony Wilson (56B) ______________________________________________________ by barrie parker » Fri
Sep 16, 2011 11:01 pm Yes, RIP Brian. My condolences to the Conway
family. Didn't know Brian on a personal level as I was next door with the pipe
band. Barrie Parker (65C) _______________________________________________________ by Roy Ashman » Sat Sep 17, 2011 1:24 am Brian was my Barrack-room NCO.K5 "E"Coy (1942 Oct) intake. Fife Band Drum-Major. Never came the Big-shot,
very fair in his dealing with us. I never came across Brian after Boy's
service but heard good reports of him. Condolences to his Family. Rest in Peace old
friend. Roy(Dusty)Ashman (Oct 42) _______________________________________________________ by Tich Schofield » Sat
Sep 17, 2011 1:31 pm I'm gutted. Brian Conway looked after me in some of my darkest
hours at Arborfield. I was feeling very low in 2 div - wanting to jack it all
in - he talked to me like a father and I can only say he helped me through
some very hard few weeks. Without his support I may not have made it. I will always remember him with fondness and
affection - more of a dad to me than my own ever was. In my archive photos I have these two of him - one
as a proud A/T Drum Major leading the school through(I think) Wokingham - the
other as I knew him as the Corps of Drums Sgt. RIP Sgt. Conway and
thank you .......... Dave ‘Tich’
Schofield (65A) _____________________________________________________ by Mel Clarke » Sat Sep 17, 2011 1:49 pm I was at Arborfield at the same time as Sgt. Brian Conway was on the PS and he was a familiar
face to all of us. A man with a real passion for military band music and
especially for his beloved Corps of Drums. May I offer my deepest sympathy to his family. Mel Clarke (62C) _____________________________________________________ by Herbie66b » Sun Sep 18, 2011 12:36 pm Very sad to hear of the passing of one of the
School's most likeable stalwarts, as we have heard, both as an apprentice,
and a much loved permanent staff member. My condolences to Pam, and Brian's family. I would like to dedicate a page to Brian's memory
on the AOBA site, so if anyone has any fond memories they would like to share
please contact me either via pm or via the site under contacts. Herbie Coles (66B) ____________________________________________________ by Mike McGuire » Mon Sep 19, 2011 11:35 am Sorry to hear of Brian Conway’s death. Like Roy
Ashman I was in K5 Barrack Room in E Company and Brian was the room NCO,
Similar to Roy I never met him again after Arborfield but I recall that he
served some years in the Middle East. Condolences to his family. Mike McGuire (42C) _____________________________________________________ by cheesey » Tue Sep 20,
2011 12:18 pm I was deeply saddened when Pam Conway phoned me
Sunday to say Brian passed away on Friday. Even though he did put me in the
jail once he was a great inspiration to me in many ways, a real father
figure, and was always fair and kind to me. I lived and breathed the Corps of
Drums and Brian worked tirelessly to hone our skills. I'm very pleased I was able to make contact with
him again in recent years, I am going to miss the exchange of 3 or 4 lengthy
epistles each year, Brian could always tell a good tale, often as not the same
one on occasions!! and it was particularly nice my
wife and I we were able to visit him and Pam at their home in Paphos on a couple of occasions where we were always made
very welcome. I am really going to miss him and feel it was a
privilege to know such a thoroughly decent man. Our sincere condolences to Pam and family. Michael Cheeseman (62C)
I first met Brian in 1954 when he was a R.E.M.E Sgt. Technical
Instructor at the Arborfield Army Apprentices School. I was in 4 Div. as an Apprentice Vehicle
Mechanic and Brian was instructing on Vehicle Ignition Systems. Although I had no knowledge of his background it
was clear that Brian had a great empathy with the apprentices he was
teaching. The reasons were to become
much clearer later in life. One thing
for sure was that he knew all the ins and outs of any of the scams or tricks
we tried to get away with. An overriding memory I have is of keeping my
illicit motorcycle in the back garden of his married quarters in Biggs Lane,
Arborfield. Who led who astray was
never answered satisfactorily, even when, some 50 years later we met in
Cyprus where he and his wife Pam had retired to, and the question was
posed. As he was the senior soldier
and a member of the permanent staff, I blamed him for my lapse of
discipline. He blamed my persuasive
powers. Pam just raised an eyebrow and
said quietly “Brian, that was just the first of many
motorcycles to be parked in our garden”.
I rest my case. After getting in touch with Brian in 2003 there
followed a ‘catching up’ series of letters, each normally consisting of ten
pages, laboriously bashed out on his trusty typewriter. Over the next eight years he steadily
refused to succumb to the temptations of the internet and e-mails, preferring
his old reliable method of communication.
There appeared a story of a quite nomadic life that he and Pam
experienced, behind which was a continuing theme of working with and teaching
the youth of wherever he was at the time. Trevor
Stubberfield (52A)
Copyright © Tony Church (55A)
(Arborfield AAS Pipe Band
Drum Major 1957/8)
A Timeline and Memories taken from our correspondence can be viewed
by Clicking on the Wreath below.
|
