Nigel Brown - Sad loss

[JohnfromUK]

I read today on another forum that Nigel Brown, author of the 3 volume set "British Gunmakers" has died, aged 84.

The British GTA (Gun Trade Association) released this:

"It is with great sadness that I have to inform you of the death of Liveryman Nigel Sime Brown, who died 11 February, aged 84 years, at his retirement home at Sutton Manor. He moved there to be with his wife Caroline, who passed away last year. Elected to the Livery 3 April 1975, Nigel Brown was a solicitor by training and a Partner in Linklaters & Paines. He served with 21 SAS from 1959 to 1972, where Past Master Emeritus David Lentaigne remembers him as ‘the Demolition Officer in the Regiment; someone who knew a great deal about how to make things fall over or blow up’. In a different vein, he understood the gun trade, serving also as Secretary to the Gun Trade Association during the 1980s. He was keenly interested in its history and was a prolific writer on guns and an acknowledged expert author, including of the three well known volumes of London and British Gunmakers. He was currently working on the fourth volume British Gunmakers. A collector too, the Gunmakers’ Company has benefited from several gifts of classic guns and actions and a unique assembly of various trigger mechanisms. The Gunmakers’ Company Charitable Trust likewise benefitted from his generosity over many years, with a substantial contribution to its funds received only recently from the sale of two very fine shot guns. Aside from his generosity, dry wit and intellectual input to the society of gunmakers, he was regularly a top scorer in the inter-livery shooting competitions and will perhaps be best remembered in the image, as Past Master Jonathan Young phrased it, ‘a very elegant and effective shot, using his Purdey hammer gun’."

[Gordon R]

I confess to being unaware of who he was. That said, he was clearly a multi-talented individual.  

[JohnfromUK]

12 minutes ago, Gordon R said:

I confess to being unaware of who he was. That said, he was clearly a multi-talented individual.  

I only knew of his books - and they are really thoroughly researched volumes.

[Dave at kelton]

Have his books here in the study. A sad loss.

[matone]

Year on year we are losing significant amounts of gunmaking knowledge represented by such people,their books impart some of it but much is lost with the person.A sad loss.

[Gunman]

Only met him once at a Long Suffers Dinner in London . We had a chat in the bar as both of us had arrived early and I thought he was someone else .

[simcgunner]

Sad loss. A very talented writer and fine man. RIP.

[kevin55]

16 hours ago, JohnfromUK said:

I only knew of his books - and they are really thoroughly researched volumes.

I have 1 and 2 and they're great books

Just leafing through them is like looking at a lost world

A sad loss

 

 

[Fil]

Yes sad loss. I knew Nigel. Nice guy. He once came to me with a nasty dent in his barrels. I repaired it for him while he waited and we were chatting away. When done he asked "How much do I owe you?" I told him the price and he said that he just happened to have a box of his latest books in the car would I like one as payment. So I figured why not. He then asked if I had the first one... I said sheepishly "no, not yet". He then mentions that he just happened to have the first volume in the car as well and went and got it. I had to pay for that one.

When he left I was still trying to do the sums and figure out who got the better deal!!