3rd December 1973

The Birth of the DUA

Brian Hobley Appointment as CUA

From The London Archaeologist

Brian Hobley died on 16th November 2023. He was 93.
He had a fall the week before which resulted in multiple fractures. He died in hospital a week later of hospital-acquired pneumonia.
The funeral service was held on 7th December 2023 at Canley Crematorium Coventry.

Hobley New Head 1973

 

From Val Shortland

Facebook

3rd December 2015

Just a five-man team to start with! It had definitely expanded by 76 when I started. I always found it interesting that Brian commuted from Coventry..seemed a long way to me..at the time.

We announced the death of Brian Hobley on Facebook 8th December 2023 and these are the comments he received.

Andrew Tizzard
One of a kind. Proud to have been with DUA during the 1970's - I suppose for my time there one of Hobley's Heroes. RIP BH

Louise Malkin
First words to me in '73. 'Hope your wellies don't leak '. Encouragement for a young archaeologist

Alan Rae
Very sad news. I never met the man but read a lot of his work when I was in London.

Leslie Watson
Very sad news. He gave me my first paid job as a digger in the City of London. I'll be forever grateful. RIP Sir.

Peter Eldon Rowsome
I still have a vivid memory of my DUA job interview with Brian and John Schofield on a snowy winter's day in 1979 at the Basinghall St offices; I got a short-term contract on the basis that I was good at shovelling and didn't mind the cold (having grown up on a dairy farm in Ontario I was highly qualified in both instances). Brian was certainly a character and played an important part in convincing developers to provide funding and time for excavations, though he had his faults too (but who doesn't)

Paul Wootton
Sorry to hear this. And a shame he went that way. So often the case.

Jennie Brigham
Sad news, what a great legacy though, I'm glad to have been a small part of it [Trevor B]

Howie Mannie
I have memories of poor labour relations and allegations of bullying. However as we’re all archaeologists here let’s write a new version of the past.

Clare Wilkinson
Sad news indeed.

Simon Walton
So sorry to hear this. Commiserations to his family.

Tony Wilmott
Sad news. Like many I owe him a lot.

Mark Wiggins
A unique character.

David Sankey
He had some flashes of insight and was more grounded than some of the managerialists (as opposed to managers) of today.
In my DUA days, a real treat was a Guildhall works canteen lunch. One day, heading for an empty table, tray loaded, I passed BH in conversation with my old Uni teacher , Richard Hodges. Richard spied me and piped, "Good god!, what are you doing here???"
Without missing a beat, Brian said, "Same as the rest of us, surviving"
Ii can't remember what I said, but whatever it was, it was superfluous. Brian had nailed it.....
...Much, much earlier I can remember a trip to the Lunt, in what must have been his days there. The gyrus was recently exposed and interpreted, and vividly explained to us. I left such childish things behind , and only seriously looked again as apprentices and old people were being made redundant at the glassworks, where I worked. Archaeology may be archaeology to you, but yo me it was both a parachute, and bread and butter.... ....and Brian played a role in that

John Michael Maloney
Brian lived to a 'good age' and was active and independent to the end. I visited him some years ago at his house in Kenilworth [he was then 88] and he was pleased that the book he had spent 20 years researching and writing had been published ~ "The Circle of God, An Archaeological and historical search for the nature of the sacred: a study of continuity". It is an impressive volume at 800+ pages, with 1050 illustrations!

John Michael Maloney
I'd learnt about Brian's death from his long-term friend Monika: I had this arrangement with Brain and her that she would let me know when it occurred and I duly passed it on to Ian and JBE for wider circulation in HH. The remainder of her email noted that "The funeral service was held this morning [Wed] at Canley Crematorium Coventry.
I am glad to say that his suffering was short and he did not have to end his days in a nursing home which was his greatest nightmare. I do apologise that I did not contact you before but there was so much to do that I simply forgot.
With kind regards, Monika"

 

Comments powered by CComment