FAREWELL, TOM

How sad it was to hear of the death of Tom Kennedy.
The Brigg 'grapevine' identified Tom as being the person found in the Ancholme some time before the authorities were able to give official confirmation. Not that that's meant as a criticism of their work.
I first knew Tom even before we were school age, as his family and mine lived only a few doors from each other in the Woodbine Grove 'prefabs' - now long demolished.
These temporary homes (built after the Second World War to try to solve the UK housing crisis) stood on what is now the children's play area between Hawthorn Avenue/Brigg Town FC's ground and South View Avenue.
I seem to remember Tom popping round to watch our black and white telly with us. That must have been 1960/1961.
He also played a bit of a trick on me, in our garden, involving a very angry bee in a matchbox, which ended with gullible me being stung on the finger.
We attended Glebe Road school together and although, educationally, we went our separate ways some years later, we kept on speaking terms and, as adults, would sometimes have a chat in one of Brigg's pubs.
And so it was, quite recently, we spoke for what the final time - in the Yarborough Hunt - when we both confirmed we would be attending May's Brigg Beer Festival, and reflected on how much we had enjoyed last year's.
What turned out to be the day before he died I was driving from Cary Lane to Spring's Parade, late in the afternoon, and saw Tom walking past Tesco, in his work clothes.
So, in the past few months, our town has lost some well-known, middle-aged characters - Paddy Quirke, Vic Berko, 'Chuck' Marshall...and now Tom Kennedy.
RIP!