A Tribute to David Pearcy

The following eulogy was given by SWRS Chairman, Barry Hodkinson, at David's funeral on 18 Sept 2014.

"On behalf of the Slough and Windsor Railway Society I would just like to offer our condolences to the family and friends of David.

"However, this is not really a mournful occasion, as we are here like everyone else to celebrate his life and achievements, and we can all take comfort in the happiness and joy he brought wherever he went.

"David was a long-standing member of our Society and a regular attendee of our meetings on a Friday night. The fact that he was a regular attendee tells us of his great interest in transport topics and railways in particular. However, he brought along more than his own interest in the subject but also an enthusiasm and commitment that was infectious. If you had never been to our hut before and arrived not knowing David, then you certainly did by the end of the evening!

"I had the privilege of knowing David from the time he joined so I can tell you many stories that demonstrate his enthusiasm, commitment and above all his ability to bring joy and happiness into your life.

"We used to have a sales stand and bottle stall that we took out to local shopping centres on Saturdays in order to raise funds for the repair of our steam locomotive. Fortunately for us, Slough Town FC were not playing on this particular Saturday, and David came with us to a shopping centre not too far away. Business was slow so David asked me if he could take a few leaflets and give them to people as they came in the main entrance. Naturally I was happy for him to do that; not many people volunteer to take on these jobs. After ten minutes or so the numbers around the sales stand started to increase quite dramatically and we were rushed off our feet and quite forgot about David. Sometime later, much to my surprise, there was a tap on my shoulder and I turned round to find the manager of the shopping centre looking at me. He asked me to have a word with the 'gentleman' distributing leaflets as he appeared to be a little 'over-enthusiastic' in his duties. I decided to go and look and I found David and then understood what he meant. David certainly gave out leaflets, but he was also giving a little tug on peoples' clothing, pulling them in the direction of our stand and explaining as he did so what a great cause they were going to contribute to! I didn't actually have a word with him, but told him what a great job he was doing! Normally we raised about £250 but on that day, mainly due to David, we took £530.

"On a club trip in London we had to travel on a train. As you know people on trains tend to look glum and miserable or they just bury their heads in the newspaper. We stepped into a very crowded carriage and stood at the end. David instantly realised that he needed to do something about the atmosphere and in a very clear, loud, voice bellowed out down the carriage: 'Cor! This must be the misery line!' It had the desired effect and people suddenly looked up and laughed or smiled broadly.

"There are many stories we could tell about David that demonstrate his commitment, enthusiasm and ability to bring happiness to those around him. As a Society we recognised this and David was given our prestigious award of the Alan Christmas Trophy. This is awarded to someone who was not an Official of the Society and had demonstrated a commitment to the club with taking on jobs, often behind the scenes, which benefited everyone. You may have seen a photograph of David proudly holding this shield and although he was given it for being in charge of liquid refreshment on trips, where sales increased dramatically of course, he could have received it for many other reasons as well.

"Finally, I spoke to David on the phone just a few weeks ago before I went on holiday. I invited him to our annual summer barbecue and said we would give him a chair of honour and he could sit there all night eating burgers and sausages, watching the trains go by. To my astonishment David said 'No, I don't want to do that!' After a brief pause he went on: 'Give me a knife and the butter and let me prepare the rolls; I can't sit there doing nothing!'. Unfortunately he did not make that evening but this conversation gives us another insight to this very personable and larger-than-life character.

"We will miss David, as you all will, but we will always treasure the memories and happiness he brought to us."

Barry Hodkinson, SWRS Chairman, September 2014