Trevor Charles Bernard Potts was born on 14th June 1930 in England and after prep school sent on to Stowe School. At the end of the war, his parents emigrated with him to South Africa.
His father had been a highly experienced Engineer Officer in the RFC and later the RAF, and decided to charter an Airspeed Oxford to fly the family out to South Africa. There Trevor occupied himself in the “rag trade” until he decided that he ought to return to the UK to do his national service.
He failed his first medical examination because of some trivial problems but was accepted for a second medical. Trevor was three years older than the average national serviceman, and his extra maturity may well have helped him to be commissioned, into the regiment of his choice – The 4th Hussars.
After his commissioning from Mons and his training at the RAC Depot, Trevor was posted on 25 July 1954 to The 4th Hussars in Hohne under the command of the well-known Commanding Officer Lt Col “Loopy” Kennard. The regiment was part of the 7th Armoured Brigade together with The 8th Hussars and The 4th RTR.
Trevor was soon posted to Brigade HQ as Motor Transport Officer. Although he had not inherited any of his father’s mechanical skills, he was a good organiser.
He remained in Soltau until his national service was completed and returned to the UK. Trevor then decided to join the Shropshire Yeomanry and was promoted to Lieutenant, and remained with the TA Reserves until Feb 1959.
Trevor decided to remain in London as his previous experience in ‘the rag trade’ enabled him to work for Jaqmar with considerable success. He shared a flat in South Kensington with a retired Army friend who subsequently had to withdraw from the flat, which resulted in Trevor having to move to a room nearby.
However as luck had it, this led him to meet Ann, an Australian, who was to become his wife when he moved to Australia, and they lived there for some years. His artistic talents came to the fore and he discovered and developed a market for acquiring antique furniture in Western Europe (mainly in Italy) which he exported to Australia for resale.
By the early 1960s the business was flourishing and Trevor, together with his wife and two delightful daughters Sarah and Caroline, moved back to the UK where he acquired the Manor House at Seend from Alan Clark. There he set up his business, converting the old servants quarters into showrooms for his wares and achieved considerable success expanding into the USA.
He finally retired to a cottage in Wiltshire but fell ill in the Summer of 2010. He was devoted to his daughters Caroline and Sarah who looked after him with great care.
He later died in Sarah’s house at Tilshead on 20th July 2010, very soon after reaching his 80th Birthday.
