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Major S G Weber-Brown
Late Coldstream Guards




Simon Weber-Brown, who has died aged 84, had led a very full and interesting life. Sixteen years in the Coldstream Guards, stockbroker, Lloyd’s agent and trustee. He had masses of friends, whose company he enjoyed. Alas, he had outlived so many of his contemporaries. Simon was always good company, highly intelligent, plenty of common sense, a great sense of duty and a wonderful sense of humour. Always well-dressed, he set the highest standards for all to see. He was also a very private and rather sensitive person, which he did his best to conceal.

Born in London in 1929, he was educated at Maidwell and Eton. Mr Brocklebank, his Eton Housemaster, saw that Simon had much to offer and wrote in a report to the Coldstream Guards that ‘Weber-Brown is a boy of considerable promise both in ability and character’. How lucky we were.

Simon was commissioned into the Coldstream Guards in 1948 and joined the 1st Battalion where he found so many who were to be his friends for life. The Coldstream was to be his home for the next sixteen years and he could not have been happier, serving in Palestine, Tripoli, Egypt and Windsor. Much to everyone’s surprise he was made the Motorised Transport Officer and attended a course at Bordon. The Chief Instructor wrote that ‘Mr Weber-Brown must overcome his aversion to putting on overalls’. With the help of Sergeant Walklin the Battalion Transport ran perfectly and they became firm friends for evermore. Sergeant Walklin attended his funeral at Knossington on the 19th March along with many old Coldstreamers.

There followed two years as an ADC to Field Marshal Viscount Slim, the Governor-General of Australia. Simon was devoted to the Field Marshal and was in his element telling visiting Kings, Queens and Prime Ministers what to do. He always said the more important people were, the easier they were to deal with, especially HM The Queen and Prince Philip.

In 1956 Simon returned from Australia to become Adjutant of the 1st Battalion, now at Krefeld in Germany. He was a very good Adjutant, putting the fear of God into the Subalterns, who were an unruly lot, and improving the morale and efficiency throughout the Battalion.

Commanding No 13 Company at the Guards Depot, where all Coldstream Recruits were trained, came easily to him, as did a year as a student at the Staff College at Camberley. This resulted in his appointment as DAAG at Headquarters London District. It was here that he was responsible for keeping up-to-date all the arrangements and plans for the eventual State Funeral for Sir Winston Churchill - along with many other possible events.

In November 1964, Simon decided to retire from the Army and seek his fortune as a stockbroker in the City with Panmure Gordon & Co. On the death of Sir Winston, Simon was recalled to London District to assist Richard Dimbleby in preparing the BBC commentary that was to take place from St Paul’s. He sat alongside Dimbleby throughout the day in the commentary box.

Simon stayed at Panmure Gordon for 17 years where he did well and became a partner. With hindsight, that is where he should have stayed. He was asked to be Chairman of a Lloyd’s Agency which he accepted, just prior to all the troubles at Lloyd’s. It was a disaster for himself and for so many others.
In the late 1980s, the time came for Simon to retire from his work in the City. He settled at Bleak House in Knossington, Rutland. He had always enjoyed his hunting with the Belvoir and Cottesmore, which was a great interest for him. He was also a good shot which took him too many good shoots around England, assisted by Dolly and Ruby, his two faithful Labradors. He always looked forward to his visits to Scotland in his quest for salmon and probably most favourite sport which was stalking.

He certainly enjoyed life to the full, and enjoyed his travels around Australia, South Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean. He was a long-standing member of Boodles, which was his favourite haunt in London.

There was a hidden talent, in that he was very good at designing, decorating and furnishing his succession of homes in London and Bleak House, Lockwood and The Homestead, all in Rutland. They were all kept in perfect order and where he enjoyed entertaining his many friends. He was a most generous and kind host, for which so many of us are so grateful.

It is a great pity that Simon never got around to marriage. He was always so good to the young and would have been an excellent parent. Instead, he had a mass of Godchildren and every year on his birthday, on 7th April, he would send them all a present.

Corporal Lloyd retired from the Coldstream Guards at the same time that the Major retired and had been his butler, cook and driver ever since. Corporal Lloyd had given 50 years of exemplary and devoted service and deserves a well-earned and happy retirement.

Simon Weber-Brown will be remembered by so many, from far afield, with great affection.

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