On 9 Nov 2010, [email protected] wrote:
> He was an important link
> in that delicate chain that kept the NSPs alive during the thin times
> of the 40s and 50's.
His name, and that of his wife Dorothy often appear in the minutes of the
period,
frequently as leading work parties doing jobs such as essential cleaning of the
Morden tower and other such events. Both served on the committee. He also
became
known as something of a reedmaker at this time, talking of visits from John of
Carrick amongst others.
His son Bob still takes an interest and receives society information, though
not a
player himself.
>I stll have the Drummond lathe used by Fred
> originally in a wooden shed in his back garden in Stanley Co Durham.
Fred was an expert jig and toolmaker, and I also use some of his things on a
regular basis. They are beautifully made. When he died, Bob asked Colin R,
Barry
and I to clear the remaining stuff. We have discarded very little, and I know
Colin
still uses tools that Fred made for him.
Fred made a good number of tools and jigs for Colin, and also made pipe parts.
In
particular he supplied the ball ends, and I think plungers, for most of Colin's
drones through the 90s, to my knowledge. He also did rough turning work, but
preferred metalwork, I think. I believe there are several sets of his about -
if
Colin was rushed, he would get Fred to make parts, or on occasion whole sets.
Colin
would then finish the sets off and tweak them till he was happy with them.
I am sure that Fred made several sets in various sorts of plastic / filled
resin
type stuff. I believe he researched the material that is now used for
interchangeable stock sockets ("acetal").
> Fred was definitely
> one of the " Characters " in the Northumbrian piping fraternity and is
> sadly missed by me and all who knew him.
He was indeed.
I first met him at Monday Chantry meetings, where he sat in the corner with
Colin,
and occasionally Bill Bohill, fettling things and talking. At that time
fettling
pipes was far more required, it seems, and often they would hardly get a tune
in,
but we did regularly have Pauline and Adrian leading the playing side at the
time.
Fred was a great talker and when he discovered we had lived in Norfolk would
hold
forth almost unstoppably on the region. He had a lifelong friendship with
Benjamin
Britten's secretary, Jeremy something or other, of which he was very proud.
I couldn't follow him into his radio and boat-building interests, but I have
the
tapes of Billy Pigg which Adrian was first given (mine are copies of Adrian's),
and
there is also a taped interview with him if memory serves. Fred was very happy
to
see the Pigg book come out, though occasionally his recollections differed from
those of others and I had to tread a careful path as to whose version to use in
the
final text.
Fred and his family were at Biddlestone Hall when "The Raindrop Waltz" aka
Achie's
Fancy was written - Fred recalled that his then small sons were racing about
getting the various containers in the right place to catch the drips that
constitute the staccato bars
I hope this adds to the picture.
Julia
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