Arrangements for the funeral of Frank Berry
Thursday 20th May 2021 11am
Frank’s family and friends will be attending a ceremony on 20th May to say goodbye to him.
Sadly due to the current coronavirus pandemic funerals are being limited to close family members only in a crematorium, so the service is restricted.
This service will be webcast.
To access the webcast follow the link to the Obitus website and input the username and password details below.
Username: lile1699
Password: 281281
You can login to the Obitus website at any time to view a test connection (and we strongly recommend you do this) but you’ll only be able to view the Live Webcast between approx 11am and 12.30pm on Thursday 20th May.
Frank’s family welcome any tributes, words of remembrance and stories about him so do feel free to leave any messages at the bottom of this webpage. (Please note comments are moderated so do not go live immediately)
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I cannot remember when I first met Frank, so here is a memory from the summer of 1967.
I had hitch-hiked over night from Birmingham to Salcombe where a whole group of the Blokes were on a camping holiday. I arrived in Salcombe about mid-day and was walking up Fore Street wondering how I would meet up with everyone when I saw Frank walking down the street towards me. We must have both been wearing old military jackets, as we did in those days and as I got close to Frank an old guy, well probably in his later 40s, barked at Frank. “Whose army are you in Sonny Jim?” and Frank’s reply came back as fast as lightening “the Salvation Army” well Frank had been or was still in the Boys Brigade back then.
I first met Frank age 11 at school introduced by John Mills who had been at primary school with him. Frank was on his own in fashion he either wore silver or gold flecked drain pipe trousers, winkle picker shoes and a mohair jumper. His hair was in a fashionable quiff which he combed regularly in the reflection of the windows and used it to hide his school cap which we had to wear to and from school. I by contrast along with the rest of the first years I was wearing short trousers and full uniform.
In his second year there was a big fight between Moseley Grammar and Moseley Secondary Modern on College road. Frank was the only second year involved and received great status for his involvement and a Saturday detention along with the rest, mainly 3rd and 4th years.
I can’t remember when I first met Frank but around the age of 13. We became firm friends and he became my style guru. On-going out on an evening I would first go to Frank’s house to change into jeans etc. I wasn’t allowed such attire as apparently it was ‘common’ and could have resulted in me being mistaken for a ‘Navi’ which of course would have resulted in disrepute and shame heaped on the family.
Frank and I both obtained identical brown corded Beatle jackets and proudly wore them out and about in our many street walks, usually accompanied by John Mills and Bob Haime. Frank was a good dancer and fearless. I always felt totally safe with him even when faced with the prospect of meeting up with the gospel mob. In fact, we never did.
A few years later at a Birmingham University gig (Cream I think) an unknown guy made an unprovoked attempt to punch me a lot. We were on a wide staircase which was very crowded. Frank just jumped (literally) on this guy and rolled down the stairs with him. The guy was not in good shape after being dealt with by Frank and we headed off to the bar all the better for such an event. Frank was a top man and embodied so many qualities I admire in a man. I will miss him.
Unfortunately, I don’t have any pics of Frank, but here’s a little narrative from memory of Frank at my parents infamous Christmas drinks parties which he always attended!
“The “Blokes “would meet up in the late sixties to celebrate Christmas, in the Kough’s house, at Brooklands Road, Hall Green. Kick off was around 11.30 and no matter which mode of transport Frank arrived in, car, bike or on foot, he always needed support in getting home for his Christmas lunch. As a veteran of such drinking bouts, Frank was always the first to be dropped off by me and my old man, at his house in Sarehole Road. For the journey home Frank was positioned on the front bench seat of my old man’s, Ford Zephyr, between me and my old man, whose capacity for enjoying a scotch or two was legend. On arriving at Frank’s house, I was given strict instructions to “get him out of the car, prop him up on the front door, ring the bell and run!” No Christmas pleasantries!”
I knew Frank for the best part of 70yrs, in all that time I cannot remember ever having cross words with him.
He was never jealous of others, so honest, just a great guy to know. A real proper man, who I will always respect.
“Usually on a Friday or Saturday night we would assemble at either the Kough’s or Burrell’s to plan our evening adventures. But one Saturday night Mr. Berry had taken Mrs. Berry out for a romantic evening and a selection of friends assembled at Frank’s.
Our pocket money was pooled and we went to the adjacent off license for gallon cans of Mitchell’s and Butlers best bitter and Ansel’s Nut Brown Ale, along with flagons of Strongbow cider.
We were young and enthusiastic and readily drank and soon finished these beverages, whereupon Frank let it be known that his father had manufactured some homemade wine. In the pantry sat 20-30 bottles of the brew and these were generously handed out to all.
They didn’t have fancy labels outlining the alcoholic content, merely handwritten as “Rhubarb wine 1961″ and it soon became obvious from the bodies and bottles strewn around that we were indeed young and foolish.
And i will always remember those pleading words as I left Frank’s ” but Penk, what do I tell my Dad”.
Unfortunately, we cannot be there to say goodbye, but be assured that tonight we will have a few glasses of wine to honor your memory.
Although the miles separated us, I considered you a great friend, a great family man and generous human being, there will be a void to our next visit.
I first got to know Frank during the Brook Lane days, when the house always seemed to be a building site and Mason was still just a little nipper.
I can still fondly remember evenings together filled with joy and laughter, often starting in the Billesley then followed by endless mugs of coffee, some great music, and plenty of chatter back across the road at Frank’s running late into the night. I clearly remember Frank prophesying one evening, that we would all be walking around with a personal phone no bigger than a calculator that would fit in your top pocket, and this was in the days long before the briefcase sized mobile phones eventually appeared. We thought he was just a bit far gone that evening, but how right he eventually turned out to be.
Frank and I would meet regularly for late-night squash sessions at Cannon Hill, spend our Sunday mornings karate training with Keith Whitehouse’s brother and enjoy long walks with the dogs through the countryside and along the canals. Precious memories liberally sprinkled with fun and humour in Frank’s inimitable way.
Frank was a genuinely great friend and always the highlight of many of our trips back to the UK.
He will be very sorely missed.
“When we were all at school a lot of us got jobs and paper rounds were favourite. I got one at the same newsagent as Juice.
Frank got a job at Woolworths in the Bull Ring on a Saturday and through him I got one as well. When we arrived to start work at 8.30 we were given various jobs carting goods from the stores in the basement to the different floors. However, Frank’s regular job was in the ‘sweet room’ which was a separate area locked and fenced off for obvious reasons. Frank was judged the most reliable and trustworthy of all the ‘Saturday Boys’. So, you can see his qualities were recognised from an early age.”
It’s funny when I wrote this it didn’t occur to me that Frank might have got the job because he was the hardest. I remember the big fight!
I have fond memories of the early days and the friendships he treasured.
Those memories I am sure will be recalled for many years
to come.
Life is sometimes a little shorter than we would like and in Frank’s life especially, so live life to the full and keep recalling fun times.
I first met Frank with Bob Haime when they knocked on my door in Green Road where we had moved when I was 14. I’d met Bob before at Melv’s I think. Frank was wearing bronze pin striped jeans and winkle pickers. A couple of years later he had a girlfriend Christine who had large breasts and we didn’t see much of him at the weekends. One occasion he bought an old car for £5 and a week later sold it to Juice for £1 without ever driving it.. This caused much laughter between the blokes and we all contributed to an entry in the personal column of the Evening Mail. “Christine, car business doing well soon have enough”. Whether enough was for a wedding or a holiday wasn’t specified.
Christmas party at new house 1976? Brook Lane opposite the Billesley Pub. The downstairs had been gutted and you had to climb a ladder to go upstairs where Frank, Lin and Mason lived. For some reason a party took place with at least 10 other Blokes, including John Mills and his wild and sexy girl friend of the time. It was a great evening with much smoking and drinking taking place on the upstairs floor that was held up by a few Acrow props.
The end of 1975 and the following January I was back at my folk’s home waiting for a plane ride to L.A. Many evenings I went around to Frank’s to play chess and spliffs of the 3 or 5 skin variety. Lin would come home around 11pm after an evening working at the Night Out in Birmingham city centre. She would make us a coffee and have a brief chat before going upstairs to bed. We carried on finishing the game with lots of psychological games in play as well as the chess. Sometimes I’d stagger out to my car at 2am to go home, Frank had to work the next day, no idea how he managed to do it.