Death of Mr HH Biddis.

Mr Henry Herbert Biddis of 18 West Street, the last surviving member of the first Newbury Volunteer Fire Brigade, died on 28 February at the age of 85.

Mr Biddis was the second son of Samuel Biddis, whose house in Northbrook Street was on the site of the present Methodist churchyard. He was educated at a boys’ private school at Albion House, Speenhamland,  and being keen on engineering was apprenticed to Messrs Plenty’s. 

On the death of his father, he joined his brother George, in carrying on the family business of plumbers.  This was subsequently transferred to 21 Northbrook Street, and when George Biddis died, the business was sold to Messrs Cooke Brothers. Mr Biddis then moved to West Street, where he had lived ever since. 

With his two sons he carried on the same trade until the outbreak of the last war, when both sons joined the forces. For a number of years afterwards he continued in business.

Mr Biddis death severs a link with a past generation of Newburians.  He was one of the original members of the Newbury Volunteer Fire Brigade, he was then in his early twenties and acted as engineer on the steam fire engine, which in those days was drawn by three horses at full gallop through the streets when a fire call was received. Since then he had seen all his old colleagues pass away, and became the last of the “Old Brigade”. 

Mr Biddis was well-known as a young man as a members of Newbury Minstrels, who were so popular in the late seventies and early eighties.  He had a good tenor voice and was in demand at concerts and public dinners. Mr Biddis was specially interested in oil paintings  and pictures, of which he had quite a collection , amongst them being some painted by his father.

His first wife, Marion Stratton of Newport, Isle of Wight, died in 1911.  He leaves a widow, two sons and two daughters, one son being lost in the last war. 

The funeral took place at Newbury Parish Church on Tuesday. The interment was at the Newtown Road Cemetery. (There follows a list of mourners, and flowers).