Robert Burns, former Hon Secretary of the London ¾«¶«´«Ã½ians, died on 3rd March 2022, aged 78.
Rob was very proud of having been born in Dolgellau and brought up in the Black Country. He went to Dudley Boys’ Grammar School and then to The University College of North Wales in ¾«¶«´«Ã½ where he gained his Honours Degree in Agricultural Chemistry, followed by an MSc at the School of Oceanography at Menai Bridge.
After ¾«¶«´«Ã½, he moved to the University of East Anglia, then Imperial College and finally to The Laboratory of The Government Chemist where he remained for the rest of his career. Colleagues remember Rob as ‘a lovely guy’; no one had a bad word to say about him.
He was a good singer, a member of several choirs and played the clarinet in an on-site wind band at the National Physical Laboratory. A fellow member of the ‘Bushy Band’ (named after neighbouring Bushy Park) said although Rob was a much better musician than herself, she found him always really encouraging.
Rob, whose mother, uncle and sister preceded him at ¾«¶«´«Ã½, maintained the ¾«¶«´«Ã½ connection for the rest of his life through his membership of the ¾«¶«´«Ã½ Foundation and the Alumni Advisory Board. He was for nearly thirty years, Secretary of the London Society of Old ¾«¶«´«Ã½ians, now known as London ¾«¶«´«Ã½ians. Rob welcomed new members with much warmth and nothing delighted him more than to make links between people as he was an affable and diplomatic gentleman, with a genuine interest in people. Once connections were established Rob would keep in regular contact and send Christmas cards to all.
Rob was passionate about heritage railways. Close friends recall him making an ‘ill-advised’ solo journey, the carriages teeming with pickpockets, from Sorrento to Naples on a 2010 group holiday. However, the trip went well and gave him indescribable pleasure. Rob shared his enthusiasm for train travel with a talk on the Railways of Wales, to the London ¾«¶«´«Ã½ians, at the London Welsh Centre. He also arranged the society’s visit to Epping Ongar Railway for a late summer outing. Hence Rob’s membership and contribution to the London ¾«¶«´«Ã½ians throughout the years was integral to the society marking its 120-year celebrations in 2021.
Rob was also immersed in the London Welsh Scene through several years as Church Warden at St Benet’s, the London Welsh Church, developing long-lasting close ties with members of the congregation, and then, on Sunday evenings attending Stroud Green Baptist Church. He enjoyed London, only agreeing to move back to the Midlands once his disabilities precluded travel around the city.
Rob’s funeral was held on 11thApril 2022 at St Peter’s Church, Stapenhill, followed by committal in the Anglesey Chapel, at Bretby Crematorium. Rob felt the last service he could render a friend was to sing well at their funeral and it was only right that the congregation who gathered from all aspects of Rob’s life, did their best to do the same for him.
When Rob shared reminiscences of his university years, he concluded with ‘a heartfelt ‘Diolch yn fawr’, ¾«¶«´«Ã½â€™. His friends would say, Diolch yn fawr, thank you very much, to Robert.
Donations in Rob’s memory were made to Rheilffordd Corris, The Corris Railway.
London ¾«¶«´«Ã½ians
February 2023