Brian Eighteen, mill enthusiast, researcher and previous employee at Sindlesham Mill in Berkshire, passed away peacefully at the age of 84 on 4th April 2015 after a long fight against cancer.
Brian worked for many years at Sindlesham Mill, and began collecting material, postcards and other memorabilia relating to mills. He was also very active in the Reading and District Cigarette Card and Postcard Club.
His interests included mills in the local area and provender milling, and he would give talks on different subjects, using display boards made up of some of his fascinating postcards collected over the years.
One of my favourite display boards of his was about mill disasters, as it had some striking photographs, and he was kind enough to let us use some of his material at our garden parties last summer (you can see some of his paintings, files and boards at our garden parties in the photo below).
A number of us here at the Archive had the privilege of knowing Brian. I personally enjoyed visiting him at his home with one of our trustees, Mildred, when he would regale us with tales about some of the local mills and his memories of working at Sindlesham Mill.
Volunteer Tom Hine remembers Brian fondly, and kindly provided us with this photo of Brian, taken back in 2000 at – unsurprisingly – a local mill book launch.
Brian’s funeral is arranged for Friday 24th April at 12pm at East Hampstead Park Crematorium near Wokingham in Berkshire, and will be followed by a reception at Sindlesham Mill, which is now the Best Western Reading Moat House.
If you would like more information about the funeral or wish to pass on your own condolences, please email me at Liz.Bartram@millsarchive.org and I can put you in touch with Brian’s son.