Introduction

(Note from Derek Knight 8/9/2017)

I found out last weekend that Reg Brooke passed away in January 2016.

At Writtle Road Works, he was in Malcolm Richardson’s Naval Export group (in E Block till they moved to M or N block). That group included I believe, John Bentley, Flo Edmonds, Keith Ronaldson, Mike Toolan. Keith Law, Denis Donaldson and some others whose faces and names that I cannot recall. That systems group was merged with others into D&DH Systems and returned to E block (Mezzanine floor) with within Gerry Valentine’s systems group in the nineties. Others might have better information, memories or both.

He was one of the four that were afflicted by the nasty C word in the early nineties and was one who survived. He had a laryngectomy operation. After short time he had a voice prosthesis fitted (a one-way air valve) that allowed air to pass from the lungs/trachea to the oesophagus when the patient covered the stoma. He was then able to talk almost as well as before, even on a phone, and it was a struggle to get a word into the conversation in reply. Single frequency, but very clear and distinct.

I haven’t had much information from the family, other than he had fallen ill in December 2015 and went downhill very quickly,  but they implied that the cancer had returned. If so, I think he did very well as the above operation was in 1992. He was then 60-ish and that would mean he gained about 24 years. He was, as far as I know, in reasonable health nursing his wife until that final period. Muriel is now in a care home but I have no more details.

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(From Rod Hough)

I knew Reg Brooke for many years. At work of course but also because he lived a few doors along the road from us. His daughter Anne and my Judith were much the same age and played together. He and Muriel were very good neighbours. Sad to hear the news.