In Memoriam
We fondly remember our former band members
Ron Howell
1944 to 2020
In the many years Watership Brass has been in existence (over 40 years), no-one can claim to have been a longer servant. Not content with being a very able trombone player, Ron brought a wealth of experience to the committee posts of Band Manager, Band Chairman and latterly the Band Treasurer. His calm, committed, friendly persona was the beating heart of the band’s organisation and he provided stability and continuity through more than three decades of the band’s life.
Ron started playing the trombone in the Salvation Army and had hoped that this might lead to being able to join the Royal Marines as a bandsman. However, in 1961, at the age of 17, he was considered too old. Instead, Ron joined the Royal Marine Commandos and completed 10 years, enjoying postings across the world, specialising as a Radio Technician. Travelling featured in his career back in civvy street as he provided worldwide technical support for mainframe computers. A move to the company Versatec (later acquired by Xerox) led to him setting up home near Newbury. It was while working for Xerox that he had the great honour of meeting Nelson Mandela at the 1995 Rugby World Cup Final in South Africa.
Playing with Watership Brass, he not only filled each of the 3 seats in the trombone section, he also played the bass drum on many Remembrance Parades. Behind the scenes, he would do all the artwork for concert programmes, he digitised the band library, and found time to serve on all eight of the overseas concert tour committees.
Ron’s long held musical ambition to play with the Royal Marines was finally fulfilled when through meeting Michael Hutton in 2001, himself a retired Royal Marine Bandmaster, was invited to become a founder member of the Royal Marines Association Concert Band. The 45-year wait to play in a Royal Marines Band was finally over.
In late June 2020, a small ensemble of Watership players performed a special outdoor garden concert at Ron’s daughter’s home with Ron the guest of honour. He fulfilled this role (as with all the others) with ease and enjoyed the Sunday afternoon sunshine with his wife Sylvia and their beloved family. This occasion also saw Ron presented with the Andy Westall award in recognition of the years of service and immeasurable contribution to Watership Brass.
Sadly, this was to be the last time we were together.
Ron passed away on the 17th August 2020, after a long battle with cancer. Watership Brass had the honour of playing at his funeral on Thursday 27th August at the beautiful Acorn Ridge Burial ground, overlooking Watership Down.
We will all remember Ron, the respected bandsman, a true gentlemen and a dear friend to many.
In August 2024, a bass drum was donated in his memory and was recently played at the remembrance parade by one of our youngest members, fitting as Ron always made a point of encouraging the younger players in the band.
Mark Picken, Musical Director Watership Brass, The Newbury Town Band
Sarah Hooper
1968 – 2023
The season of remembrance of 2023 coincided with Watership Brass remembering and mourning the loss of one of our own, Sarah Hooper.
Sarah had been in the band playing cornet on the back row for over 30 years and had been on most of the international tours we have organised. She had also been the band’s secretary and more recently, the archivist, collecting memorabilia from all our engagements – a role I know she enjoyed.
As shown by the length of time she was a member of the band, she was very dedicated, always wanting to make sure that she did things right and didn’t let the rest of us down. She also provided much-appreciated help and guidance to other members, always with a friendly smile.
Watership Brass remained a hugely significant part of her life up to her death and it was very moving to see the Watership family rally round her in her illness. I know that it was an honour for some of the band to play for her one last time just a few days before she died.
Rest in peace, Sarah. We will miss you and you’ll always be in the hearts of your Watership Brass family.
Bronwen Davies
Barry Hollamby
1938 – 2023
A ray of sunshine…a lovely, gentle man…interesting to talk to…these are some of the words we used to describe Barry Hollamby when we learnt of his death.
Although he only played with us for a short time, he truly made his mark in the band and his loss is keenly felt, perhaps especially in the trombone section where he played bass trombone, although he could play many other instruments.
Charlotte, one of his trombone colleagues in the band, has expressed how she always appreciated his cheerfulness, his interest in people, his infectious smile, his vast experience both of life and music, and what an honour it was for her to play alongside such a wonderful person.
These are definitely sentiments shared by the whole band. It was indeed wonderful to have him join the Watership family as another grandfather figure, soon as it was after losing Ron, and an honour for us all to play alongside him, and it was an honour again to play at his funeral. He will certainly be sorely missed.
A committed Christian, he was also part of a local Salvation Army band and several others, but he always spoke of his fondness for Watership Brass and how much he enjoyed playing with us.
Rest in peace, Barry. We will always remember you and you will always be part of the Watership Brass family.
Bronwen Davies
Gordon Fyfe
1930 – 2014
Always with a cheery greeting, a friendly smile and an infectious sense of humour, Gordon was a long-standing and much valued member of the band and a kind friend to many - a true gentleman.
He is very fondly remembered by the band and much missed in the baritone section. A particularly significant memory is of when he was chosen to lay a Watership Brass wreath on behalf of the band at the Menin Gate Ceremony when we played there during our 2012 tour to Belgium. The pride with which both he and his partner Dot did this was so special to witness.
Hailing from Aberdeen, Scotland, he had always loved music, as had his music-teaching father before him. It was a love he shared with one of his sisters and passed on to his son, Roger, and daughter, Wendy.
When he wasn’t involved with his music, he worked as an engineer, first in Glasgow, then Dundee, before becoming a contract engineer at Plenty in Newbury when the family moved south in 1964.
Before that he served in the Korean War from 5 November 1953 to 27 November 1955, in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) – a British Army corps that played a crucial role in the war, providing vital engineering support. Like many men serving in war, it took a long time for him to be able to talk about his experiences. He began to talk about it in his later years – recounting the action he saw and how he was the only man to survive in his group, alone at night in minus temperatures, before being rescued by the Australian Army in the morning and taken to an island in Japan, appreciating their relaxed manner (compared to the British Army!).
In amongst the brutality and sadness of war, he was touched and sustained by the beauty and hope that there still was. He spoke of his amazement at seeing the dignity and community among women working in some rice fields despite their tough conditions and being particularly touched by how they stopped to help one of the women give birth – a sign of new beginnings and life going on in all the hardship; of his wonder at the glorious nature around him, recounting a particular journey on a ship going through the Suez Canal – of how the water and sky were the same blue colour, as if he were held in blue.
He took this appreciation of beauty and nature home with him, including a physical representation in the form of a lacquer box with beautiful painted butterflies on the outside, in which, being a keen photographer, he stored his camera lenses. This was kept by his daughter after he died and has since been given to an artist neighbour of hers, bringing hope and healing to another veteran of the forces, and now contains some of the butterflies he makes from waste.
As well as his love of music, nature and photography, he had a love of family – his own, including his partner Dot's children and grandchildren and his Watership family.
All these families continue to miss him and Dot, who shared his love of music and the band, and they will remain in our hearts forever.
Bronwen Davies