from Mike

(Thanks to Mike for sharing so much about Robert’s early years)

In the last 15 years I only saw Robert a few times and my last contact was by email two years ago but I could recognise him so clearly in the comments people have left. It was great to see how much he was loved and appreciated by his friends and colleagues and very sad that he can’t read it himself.

I first met Robert in 1980 doing a temporary job putting leaflets in envelopes in Hemel Hempstead, when he would have been 24 and I was 19. Then I used to see him very occasionally until 1985 when we started to play music together from time to time.

What I remember Robert telling me was he left school, I guess at 15 then, and had been told by a careers teacher that he would only be a jack of all trades, which unlike the teacher, Robert thought was a good thing. As I remember, Robert said he went to an approved school.

He had done some semi pro drumming in bands one of which he had left because they were “prostituting the art of country music” – I think those were his words- and had done some drumming in a strip club.

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The photo of Robert and our friend Ian, drinking tea at my parents’ house is the oldest, taken in 1985. Ian died in a work accident only a few years later.

After doing the temp job with him in 1980 I only bumped into him occasionally before 1985. Once was in the library in Hemel, I think once on his bike and once on a train to London. I remember him telling me he was studying part time in the local college – Dacorum College- A-levels and was applying for a place at Goldsmiths College as a mature student.

The fact that Robert had organised all this, worked out how to do it and had the determination and discipline to see it through, impressed me as a middle class grammar school boy who had had a lot of support to get to university. He was accepted and I guess started in 1984.

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This photo of Robert and his bike is from 1988/9.

I really liked seeing the up to date pictures of Robert on the website. Thank you for sharing them. I don’t think Robert liked looking back. He always wanted to move forward and achieve the highest professional standards.

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By an amazing coincidence I bumped into Robert on a Saturday morning in Oxford Street in London in late March/early April 1985. That was when I took the picture of him with the Hank Williams album, which he was specifically going to buy that morning so I went along with him and we walked and caught a bus. I am not a photographer but I had a habit of carrying an old 1970 Olympus trip camera with me most of the time and taking quite a lot of  pictures.

It’s taken in the narrow curving passage behind the big Virgin record shop on the corner of Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road, called Hanway St. Another part of my musical education – and note the untypical footwear!

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This is Ian, Robert and Tricia which I’d actually dated 5th May, 1986. Three in a playful mood after recording a demo.

A group of us then played music together for a few years. Martin, Madhu and Tricia were at Goldsmiths with Robert. I remember that he wrote a dissertation on postwar British youth subcultures, including dress styles. While studying at Goldsmiths, Robert worked nights at a big Sainsbury’s stacking shelves.

We played our only gig! -at a birthday party in a pub function room in New Cross, on the strength of Robert’s connections there – some of his workmates were in a band called Burn, I think. They were playing there and let us do one number with their equipment. Robert was evidently a well liked and respected character.

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Here is a picture I put together for our friend Alf. I think Robert took the main picture in the early 1990s -of Alf when he was coming up for retirement and had just started working as a commissionaire at the Civic Centre.

We all used to get together with other friends to play music usually on a Sunday. Robert called us “The Commissionaires” in a reference to the Jordanaires which used to tickle him and I remember he dubbed this photo ( which he asked Alf to pose for outside the Civic Centre on his way home) “Alf Gooch- The Peaked Cap Years”. Alf used to play guitar and sing.

The guitar player is Martin, who was in the same year as Robert at Goldsmiths in the 1980s, tho’ 10 years younger as Robert was a mature student. I still see Martin several times a year and he phoned me to tell me about Robert’s death. Robert introduced me to Martin. Martin’s wife Madhu still sees Tricia, who was Robert’s girlfriend then and that is how we heard the news.

Later, after leaving Goldsmiths, Robert moved back to Hemel with his parents and in the late 1980s/early1990s worked in a residential care home for people with learning difficulties where one of his colleagues was his friend Irene, who I guess must be the Irene on your website. I remember him telling me about it.

Although he didn’t intend it to be a long term career I think he quite enjoyed and valued the experience but then they both had to fight a potentially traumatic legal battle when they were falsely accused of sleeping on duty. The case was thrown out by a barrister at an industrial tribunal when it was discovered to have been a complete fabrication by two temporary workers.

It must have been an absolutely terrible experience but Robert conducted his defence almost like a military campaign! His determination and strength of character was absolutely impressive. It really sticks in my mind.

This was at the time that he had started to get interested in photography. I’m not sure of dates but after the tribunal I think he started working at Joe’s basement, which I guess you know about, and the photography became more serious.

Alf and I remember Robert learning his craft – going to classes at the local college, joining the local photography club and then endlessly – it seemed – walking round Hemel finding things to photograph and practise different techniques on.

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Here’s Robert teaching himself lighting techniques in the woods.

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This wedding photo is by Robert at my brother Chris’ wedding on 9th April, 1994. He never looked back so now I’m sure he would now tell you everything that was wrong with it!

He got me and Alf to dress up for photos, even bringing props. At one point I was the Invisible man wrapped up in bandages and an Arab Sheikh! My mother has a grainy black and white photo Robert took at my brother Chris’ wedding. His sheer determination and skill took him a remarkable way in a relatively short time.

from Mike wood
Robert at Ian’s 21st party in December 1987

The Funeral

The funeral was a beautiful tribute to Robert. It was very moving to meet Irene, John and their son Dan who were like a family to Robert and who were grieving like a family. It was a beautiful autumn day and Irene said ” A beautiful day for a beautiful man.”

Robert’s friend Mark gave a great address which I think he would have really appreciated and made people laugh too. Tricia gave a short and moving one too. Afterwards in the pub we had a chance to mingle and swap memories. It was very striking to meet all these people who Robert mattered to and who felt such respect, affection and love to him.

Martin and I talked to Richard who works the photographic cafe and seemed to have a very good idea of some of Robert’s problems which was really sad to hear about. I was grateful Meriet had organised the funeral to give us a chance to say goodbye and celebrate Robert’s life and to you for putting up the details on the website.

Mike Wood.

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If you would like to add your remembrances or pictures of Robert to this website, please email them to Tom: [email protected]