From The Rectory

The last month has been a sad one in the life of our community; a number of well-known people have died and are mentioned elsewhere in this issue.

 Among them were John Hart, some-time conductor of the former Ickenham Choral Society, Keith Briggs, a local Councillor for 25 years and Mayor of Hillingdon in the early 1980s, and Margaret Hillier the 94 year old mother of the late Editor of ICN, John Hillier.  We remember them, and others, with thanksgiving for what they gave to Ickenham.

The penitential season of Lent is upon us again - the spring festival of the church.  As my colleague Adrian wrote recently 'remember, Lent is a time of taking up as well as giving up!'   So please do join one of our Study Groups and/or come to our Midweek Reflections on Wednesday when we shall be looking at Women of the Bible.  Again, more details elsewhere in this issue.

If you can't allocate time for either of these perhaps the suggestion of a book (particularly for those of you who commute to work by bus or train). Try Gerard Hughes' 'God in All Things', published by Hodder and Stoughton at £10.99. ISBN 0-340-86135-5. In this book Gerard Hughes ìinvites the reader to meet God, who is always greater than all our expectations yet closer to each of us than we are to ourselves......... the author speaks to the disillusioned, confused and despairing and helps us all to keep discovering this loving God of the Impossible.  In times when people are disillusioned with so much that goes on today in our society, the book is timely and certainly a worthwhile read.  Take time and space to take up something during Lent this year.

Greetings and peace to you all.

Philip

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From St Giles' Registers

Baptisms

Jan. 25th

Jack Hurst Luke Benedict Coen

Cremation at Breakspear Crematorium

Jan. 19th	Irene Caulkett, aged 93 (After Service in St. Giles' Church)
29th	Harry William Berry, aged 87
Feb. 6th	Dr. Barry Scott, aged 89
11th	Thomas Andrew Morton Gilmour, aged 76 Linda Jane Chenery, aged 39
12th	Peter Daldry, aged 81
13th	Keith Cyril Briggs, aged 83 (After Service in St. Giles' Church)
16th	John Hart, aged 92 (After Service in St. Giles' Church)

Burial at Hillingdon Cemetery

Feb. 18th

Margaret Louisa Hillier, aged 94 (After Service in St. Giles' Church)

Burials of Ashes

Feb. 9th	Irene Caulkett
10th	Martin Jackson

NB In February's edition of ICN Harold Anton Widmann, deceased, was mistakenly referred to as Wildmann. Our apologies for this error.

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Keith Cyril Briggs

Our community, and many people in our Borough and beyond, will mourn the passing, on Friday 6th February, of Keith Briggs who lost his wife Betty only last July. The full church included our Member of Parliament, John Randall, as well as current and former Mayors of Hillingdon. 

Keith, himself, had been Mayor as well as Ickenham's Ward Councillor. He was President of Ickenham and Swakeleys Horticultural Society, and a member of many organisations such as the Round Table, Western Front Association, a number of Probus Clubs, and Uxbridge 41 Club (for ex Round Tablers). Keith was also a Freemason and member of two Lodges through which he rose to the London Grand Rank. Keith was a stalwart member of St. Giles' Church congregation and its Church Watch rota. 

During the war Keith was conscripted into the Royal Engineers and spent most of those years in Transport Command where he rose to the rank of Sergeant. During embarkation leave in December 1945 he married Betty. A year after demobilisation in 1946, having returned from a South Africa posting, he joined the Guardian Assurance Company. 

A great love of his life was his music, and his semi-professional band work. Keith played guitar with Southend's premier dance band throughout the 1950s and 60s. During that time he worked with famous guest artists such as David Nixon (conjuror and double bass player) and jazz pianist George Shearing. The band performed in a radio broadcast from the famous Kursaal. 

Keithís other great love was books, and he kept a diary of every one he had read since 1939. There were 2,500 (three or four per month) over sixty years!   He joined the email age in his seventies, and enjoyed surfing the Internet. However, like many of us, he found the many features on his mobile 'phone something of a mystery. 

Keith died in Harefield Nursing Centre having never recovered well from his stroke, last September, and his several other serious illnesses The Funeral service was at 12.15 p.m. in St. Giles' Church on Friday 13th February followed by the Committal at Breakspear Crematorium. 

He leaves two sons, their wives and five grandchildren of whom both he and Betty were immensely proud.

Editor

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