Nick's dad, Bruce, has written some of his memories for others to share.

YOUNG NICK

Nick’s life began at great speed. He was born in Blackbrook Maternity Unit in Fareham, but because of a minor hitch over the placenta he and his Mum were put into an ambulance which raced down to Portsmouth, to St Mary’s Hospital, followed by his Dad in the car. Thankfully all was well, and after a few days he was brought home to Locks Heath Vicarage to the delight of his older sister, Jo.

As a toddler, we called him Jumping Bean, because he never walked anywhere, always ran or, more exactly, jumped.  He was full of energy and curiosity and was a great favourite with the staff at his first playschool in the Church Hall. He was given a blue teddy bear by an auntie and was very attached to it. It became known as Blue Ted and went everywhere that Nick went. On one occasion, while Nick was at the Infant School his Mum gave Blue Ted a good wash and because it was a warm sunny day pegged him on the line to dry. Coming back from school Nick quickly spotted Blue Ted hanging by his ears, and was utterly heartbroken, until Mum took the creature down from the line and young Nick was happy again.

By the age of six Nick was already fascinated by speed and exploration, and was delighted one Christmas to be given a kit to make up a Space Rocket. His Dad decided to help him put together the pieces and fix the stickers to decorate, but his Dad has big clumsy hands and was making a mess of it, so Nick gently took over and finished the job properly!  A couple of years later he found out that the local rag, the News, was running a competition for a youngster to design the top of a skateboard and decided to enter. He worked hard at his design, which was based on the Spitfire, and, to his delight he won the competition and became the proud owner of a skateboard and helmet and gloves. In no time at all he became proficient on the board and skated all round on the tarmac car park to the Rectory. He was always very competitive. His Dad taught him how to play chess, and they played together until Nick beat his Dad every time. Much the same happened over table-tennis.

He was an outgoing boy and made many friends in the church choir and later in the Fareham Sea Scouts. Because he had proudly worn his Dad’s naval peak cap as a youngster, he even talked of joining the Navy when he grew up. He even met Lord Louis Mountbatten, (who was then Admiral of the Fleet ) when he accompanied his Dad who was preaching at a Trafalgar Day Service on board H.M.S. Victory. But speed was his great love, and as soon as he had learned to ride a bike he was off at a great pace.  When he was eleven the whole family spent Easter week on a break in Canterbury, taking their bikes with them on the train, and, later in the week cycling back in stages, with bed and breakfast stops each night. On every stage, Nick was off on his bike, and shot ahead, reaching our next destination well ahead of the rest of us. As a teenager, he wanted to try everything available that moved fast. On a family holiday in the South of France the moment we arrived at the Mediterranean beach he spotted jet-skis for hire and spent a good deal of his pocket-money on learning to master one. Later, on the way back up through France in the car he noticed a go-kart track half a mile away, and once we had arrived at our hotel, persuaded his Dad to drive him back to it, to have a go.

Needless to say, Nick was eager to learn to drive as soon as it was allowed and got a weekend job to help pay for the lessons. The next inevitable step was to have his first car, which was a black Triumph Spitfire. He even drove his parents, sitting perched in the back, to the Ritz in central London, for a surprise afternoon tea (paid for by Nick and his sisters) to mark their wedding anniversary. That was so typical of Nick, thoughtful, inventive and always ready with ideas for doing something different. His and Caroline’s wedding reception was on a boat along the Thames to Hampton Court. Even when he was so ill last Autumn, he was planning a ride in a Spitfire in the summer for his Dad’s 89th birthday! He lived a full life, worked hard, bore his illness with courage and made us very proud parents.