In Memoriam

The Late Brian O’Riordan 2024

It is difficult to come to terms with the fact that we will no longer have Brian to guide and encourage us in our various NHBS endeavours and we are so sorry that he had to be confronted by so many difficulties that the committee have had to cope with during the past year.

In his quiet way Brian was a tower of strength to all of us, a lovely man that we have been very privileged to serve and share our hobby with. One has only to read his brief autobiography, (Newsletter 86 ,September 2023,) which Jim was able to encourage him to write for us to see what an amazing life Brian charted, all the more remarkable then that he was able to overcome serious health conditions along the way, much of it over the many years he acted as our Hon Treasurer and Newsletter editor, and to live such a long and rewarding life.

After stepping down from his NHBS positions he further enriched the society by his Presidency bringing to it a dignity and sincerity that well befits the office and he was still active in this role up to a few days before his death.

Peter Ferguson for NHBS Committee

The Late Colin Day 1942-2022

Colin had been an enthusiastic member of the NHBS and supported all of the Society meetings and events no matter how far it was to travel. He was a very keen horse brass collector and thoroughly researched his finds especially those of a military interests and saddlers of his local area. It is thought that his cousin helped him with online research, the one thing Colin would have nothing to do with is computers!! He had written a few articles for the NHBS Journal and would have been a very good committee member but he felt his lack of computer skills would have been a problem. Colin was an outgoing person as this picture taken at the Ipsden meeting in 2019 might suggest his presence and enthusiasm will be missed at our gatherings.

The Late Malcolm Andrews 1932 – 2021

NHBS Founder Member and former Chairman Malcolm Andrews was a keen supporter of regional groups of the Society and was the Editor of the first Regional Newsletters in the archives, he also edited the first National Newsletter but it is not known how long he performed that role.

Malcolm was elected Chairman of the Society in 1979 just four years after its formation, at the time the NHBS was in the doldrums with just twelve members present when he was elected at the AGM.

He was described in the Journal as “Chairman and Publicity” and went on to lead the Society through its hay-day with over five hundred members.

The late Malcolm Andrews in his own words June 1990 extracted from the NHBS Journal “Horse Brass” No 28:

In the early seventies I joined the S.C.H.P.A. and met Terry Keegan who was sounding opinions on the formation of a Society for horse brass collectors. This all came into being in 1976 as the National Horse Brass Society. I am proud to have been one of the founder members and honoured to have been elected Chairman in 1979.

On reflection, in common with other members, I probably thought the Society was capable of achieving too much too quickly. We came close to ceasing to function but rallied, consolidated, and with the continued support of many members have achieved our present position. In spite of this success story, I have one disappointment. This is the failure of the idea of regional groups within the Society. This seems to me the ideal way for members in an area to meet regularly and thus develop friendships and extend their interest. With the exception of a group in the N. West this aim has never been achieved on a lasting basis. What of the future? We must maintain our high standards. We have been very fortunate in the standard set and maintained by our journal editors. We have a journal to be proud of. Support it!! We must endeavour to extend our research into the subject and continue publication of our monographs, which are highly regarded. We must be seen as a Society which is not just a ‘Collection of Collectors’ but as an authoritative body keen to research, discuss and advertise our hobby. Above all, the N.H.B.S. must be a Society to which all members feel it is worthwhile to belong and so find their hobby is the more rewarding for so doing.

The Late Steve Pink 2019

Steve (pictured here with Malcolm Andrews centre and Peter Anderson right) was a stalwart of the Society, he joined the NHBS in 1989 and very quickly became involved with Society affairs jumping in at the deep end in 1990 by not only becoming a committee member but taking on the role of General and Membership Secretary.

He also edited the Newsletter which all in all must have been a huge undertaking at a time when the membership was it the region of five hundred. Steve stood down from this role in 1995 due to taking on a new business venture which demanded his full attention. He continued his interest in collecting horse brasses and his membership of the NHBS and stepped up to mark again in 2003 when the Society was short of a Membership Secretary. This inevitably went on to combining it again with the role of General Secretary and Newsletter Editor, duties he performed from 2006 to 2012.

Steve was also the author of a most interesting paper entitled “The History of Horse Brasses” featured on this website under Brasses Information from the home page. Steve’s business life was in finance, following his degree course he gained a PhD, his claim to fame at one time being the youngest Bank Manager in the UK but went on to create his own business as a chartered Accountant. We shall best remember him of course for his fourteen years of dedicated committee work for the Society.

The Late Alec Hopkinson 2020

Alec Hopkinson died in 2020 aged 85 years. He was born into a farming community, took an early interest in Heavy Horses and started collecting horse brasses, amassing a superb collection. He and his son Andrew and daughter Ruth both helped to display his large collection. Andrew, an NHBS member also, has pledged to carry on displaying his late father’s collection at Church Stretton and other events. You may not know but Alec was also a master carver in stone and an expert in the ancient craft of “Corn Dolly” making.

Alec was a keen supporter of the society and was a regular attender at our Ipsden and Church Stretton meetings, often exhibiting some of his own fine collection of horse brasses, which he also did at various agricultural and horse shows. He always attended our AGM and was not afraid to speak his mind on matters he felt important. As a regular supporter of our annual members’ brass competition, he was often successful. His suggested ideas always translated into good horse brass designs as exemplified by his delicate petal design for our 2018 members’ brass and his 2020 milk churn brass. His designs often mirrored brasses from his own collection as was the case of his spectacular ploughshare brass issued as an NHBS special brass in 2015. It proved to be one of the most popular of all our specials and quickly sold out.

Founder Member The Late Douglas Hull 2020

Doug Hull passed away on the 25th May 2020, another of our founder members (his original membership number was 24). His wife Joy who died a few years previously joined later. When she died, Doug gave her member’s brasses to the society to be sold for funds. They were very keen and loyal members who always came up from Devon to attend our meetings especially Ipsden.

Many years ago Doug presented a major part of his horse brass collection to the National Trust and they are on display in the stables at Knightshays Court, Tiverton, home of the Heathcote Amorys (the stables are used as the restaurant and the brasses look splendid on the walls in glass fronted cabinets, I hope they are still there as I have not visited the house for a while).

He and Joy were very active in local politics and served as Mayor and Mayoress of Axminster some years back. At Ipsden, in the days when Ran and Audrey Hawthorne and Ron and Jean Taplin organised the annual get together, Doug always exhibited his “speciality collection” of brasses which were all stamped brasses (these were not at Knighthays) and I recall at one Thimbleby and Shorland brass sale which they usually attended, there was a large stamped plain sun flash brass up for auction with the initials J H engraved on it in large bold letters (Pictured above) which Doug successfully bid for. I remember how delighted they were with their purchase because “J H” were Joy’s initials.

The Late Barry Maltby 2020

Barry and his late wife Connie were early members of the society and keen horse brass collectors. Barry joined the NHBS committee in March 1982 taking on the role of society archivist, a job he held for twenty six years.

He was joined on committee by his wife Connie in March 1990 until 2004 where Connie brought much wisdom and stability to the committee meetings as did Barry. In March 2002,Barry succeeded Terry Keegan as Chairman serving for the next six years until 2008 when he retired from active participation in the life of the society though he remained a member.