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 I was shocked beyond belief to
receive an early morning call at the beginning of the week informing
me of the sudden death of George. I had spent quite a bit of time with
him at a meeting at Atherstone on 18th of January this
year, when we discussed our health, me being unable to judge at
Cruft's and him feeling quite fit and looking forward to the start of
the hound trailing season in April. Two days later I received in the
post, photo's of his hounds, him self and his son at last seasons
events.
We lived
at opposite ends of the country, but my wife Avril and I used to visit
Cumbria for a weeks hunting in the autumn each year, and on one
occasion we called at George's shop. He made us very welcome on such a
surprise and unheralded visit, and I was most interested to find he
had a mounted head of a Fox hound or trail hound displayed on a top
shelf. We had a lot in common apart from Basset Hounds, with him it
was his trail hounds , and with me, Welsh Fox hounds, this sporting
connection linked us closely.
We have possessed two books on
hounds since the early 70's written by George, and when Marianne Nixon
asked me to write covering hunting with Basset hounds for her book. I
immediately checked George's work and came to the conclusion that his
research was so thorough and conclusive, that it was impossible to
improve, so that my contribution would have to be of a different
nature.
George had the ability to judge
hounds to perfection, and it came as no surprise when he judged the
hound group at Cruft's in 2004, and his group winner, went on to
become the Cruft's best in show for that year. George was a man I am
proud to have been acquainted with, and any one who did not meet him,
has been most unfortunate.
Michael
J Errey
Chairman. BHC.
Hon. Treasurer
The South East Branch of the Basset Hound Club
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