Dave succumbed to cancer on 2 May 2004. He was aged 74.
He enlisted into the Army in November 1946 and after basic training at No 6 PTC he was posted to 2RTR in July 1947 and some months later was seconded to 3/4 County of London Yeomanry (TA) as a PSI.
In August 1948 along with many hundreds of Regular soldiers within the RAC, he was posted to the 4th Hussars then at Colchester but ready to depart for Malaya to assist in putting down an insurrection by Communist-inspired Straits-born Chinese.
Dave quickly settled into his new regiment. Initially, he was troop corporal of Recce Troop then led by Jock Coleman. Within a few months of arrival in the Malaya peninsula, the 4th Hussars had to send a squadron to Hong Kong and this entailed the creation of ‘D’ Squadron into which Dave was posted with the rank of sergeant.
He served within this squadron up to early 1952 when it was disbanded as a consequence of the 4th Hussar’s return to the UK.
For the last six months of his service, Dave was part of a demonstration team based at the School of Infantry at Warminster.
He was transferred to the reserve in September 1952.
He married Margaret, a former Wren, on 15 October 1955 and they eventually produced two sons. One of these followed his father into the Army and became a Warrant Officer with REME.
In civil life, Dave joined Securicor and progressed to a high position in that company at one time being based in Brussels as parcels manager.
Dave joined the Regimental Association in the late 1980s at which time he was living in his native ‘black country’. He quickly established a close friendship with Bert Beavis, Val Harries and Frank Sleeman who also lived within the West Midlands and regular lunchtime meetings were held, usually at a pub in Birmingham.
