District Dave

[Hutch]

Just been to Dave's funeral.

The chapel was a full house - worthy of rush hour - and an indication of the amount of people his life had touched. A wonderful service, touching eulogies and a heartfelt farewell. Even a mighty rendition of 'Jerusalem' in this green and pleasant land.

Strength and condolences to his wonderful family.

Hutch

[Oracle]

I regret that I was not able to travel up to the funeral because of other family commitments. I am so pleased however that his send-off was just as I had hoped.

[Deleted]

Mar 28, 2011 14:26:23 GMT Hutch said:

The chapel was a full house - worthy of rush hour - and an indication of the amount of people his life had touched. A wonderful service, touching eulogies and a heartfelt farewell. Even a mighty rendition of 'Jerusalem' in this green and pleasant land.

A fitting send-off.

I could not make it because of well, school. But I'm pleased, like Oracle, that it went so well.

RIP Dave and my greatest condolences to his family.

[version3point1]

I've just returned home from the Six Bells in Ruislip (where a drink or two may still be happening up there in Dave's honour!) and the service was such a beautiful tribute to Dave. It was really lovely to see so many people who had turned up in uniform as well – there were so many members of staff in attendance that we were all stood up and crammed into the chapel, people still trying to get through the door! But we all shared a hymn book or two, and to second Hutch, it was all for an absolutely wonderful rendition of 'Jerusalem'! A proud moment!

Some cadets from the local RAF establishment did a wonderful job of leading the hearse up the driveway in front of the chapel with a slow march. So dignified and with a sense of pride and honour, and it's always so nice to see young people doing something so positive. Dave's son, Chris, was in his full dress of forces uniform, having recently passed out, the ceremony of which Dave was able to attend, and after the service, did his father proud and went around meeting and greeting all those who had attended. Such a wonderful and bright young man, and you can see so much of Dave in him also. Went Chris came to speak to us after the service outside, he said himself that he and his mother weren't fully aware of the work his father had done for the 'District Dave' name and that they weren't expecting so many people to be involved and that they didn't realise the extent of Dave's abilities to reach out to so many people. The huge smile on his face said it all though – he must be so proud of his dad.

Such a cheerful service – I will be in contact with Dave's sister shortly to post her tribute from the service, which was so very heartwarming. The family have been so strong – though there were some tears, there were were many smiles too as people spoke fondly of Dave, and it was nice to speak to the family too and hear of how he was a child and growing up. Later on in the pub, Dave's wife brought along her wedding album and a collection of photographs of Dave throughout the years – there was one in particular that stuck out, of Dave enjoying himself to the full extent that life can provide (and having had perhaps a little too much to drink at a family gathering, his hand over his head!), to which everybody passed comment, "That's the Dave we know!"

[Deleted]

It was a lovely service, and the number of people standing squashed up together was indeed like rush hour!

Well over a hundred people were there to say goodbye to Dave, a truly fitting farewell.

[Chris W]

Trying not to repeat everything that has been posted by others above, Dave had a good send-off this afternoon. Much laugher, smiles and a few tears. Dave's sister and cousin gave eulogies that set the tone of the afternoon perfectly, referred to many posts made, paying special attention to those that came from across the globe.

All forum members across the board were represented, those who are LU staff, Founders, Admins, Mods, through to common-or-garden LU enthusiasts such as myself...

So sad to see one of our members pass on, especially our original founder, but to witness how close and strong Dave's family are was humbling. It was also reassuring to know just how higly he was regarded by those who worked, met or had simply come into contact with him online...

[Tom]

I can only echo what 3.1 and adw have posted, it was a truly fitting service for Dave.
The rush hour feeling was not lost on some of us!

[Deleted]

I was nearby but could not attend as I was in school. Its good to hear that so many turned up to see him off!

[Deleted]

The huge attendance today would have made Dave very proud.

Here is a picture I took of Dave doing the job he loved, seen here as the last driver to take charge of an unrefurbished D stock train.



RIP Dave.

[Chris M]

I too am privileged to have been in attendance at Dave's send-off, and from everything I know of him, I'm sure he would have appreciated it.
I tried to count how many people were in the chapel, but quickly lost count. The best I can say is that there were more than 150 people paying their respects in person, and of course many more unable to make it on the day. That his lovely family were surprised at this is a tribute to both Dave's greatness and his humility.

[Oracle]

It did occur to me that sometime in the future we could have a formal memorial meet at which those of us that could not attend could raise a glass or two to the memory.

[superteacher]

Mar 28, 2011 20:02:43 GMT Oracle said:

It did occur to me that sometime in the future we could have a formal memorial meet at which those of us that could not attend could raise a glass or two to the memory.

I'd be up for that, as I too was unable to make it today. Just glad that he got a good send off.

[SE13]

Some fantastic words written, some amazing tributes, and they all follow a common theme. May Val and Chris take heart in knowing how many people Dave reached out to.

I really wish I could have been there today to say goodbye to (as the staff here know him) The Boss, but take it from me, you'll never have a finer boss to work for.

I've followed Dave's site from the early days, through to taking the courage to ask questions on this very forum from the early days, PM's to Dave on a variety of things, all read, all answered in a true and factual form - Indeed not a single question was too much. The very creation of this forum has brought together some of the very finest information possible, and created some great bondships between people, and from a personal point of view, creating lasting friendships.

The very words written in this thread are testament to Dave, echoed by myself. I met him at Acton last year, jokingly suggesting that he'd had a ride on a "real train" on The Picc down to Acton - "That's not a real train Chris, real trains only run on the green lines"

So from myself, Chris (SE13) I say goodnight, thank you for everything I've had the pleasure of learning, thanks for allowing me to share my thoughts with others and thanks for a fantastic community here you created.

Val and Chris my thoughts are with you not only now, but every day I click on to this site, and rest assured that the long lasting legacy in the form of this forum will live on.

District Dave, 16/01/52 - 17/03/11 I salute you, bid you farewell. Passed on, but never forgotten.

[Bighat]

Mar 28, 2011 20:46:16 GMT SE13 said:

Some fantastic words written, some amazing tributes, and they all follow a common theme. May Val and Chris take heart in knowing how many people Dave reached out to.

I really wish I could have been there today to say goodbye to (as the staff here know him) The Boss, but take it from me, you'll never have a finer boss to work for.

I've followed Dave's site from the early days, through to taking the courage to ask questions on this very forum from the early days, PM's to Dave on a variety of things, all read, all answered in a true and factual form - Indeed not a single question was too much. The very creation of this forum has brought together some of the very finest information possible, and created some great bondships between people, and from a personal point of view, creating lasting friendships.

The very words written in this thread are testament to Dave, echoed by myself. I met him at Acton last year, jokingly suggesting that he'd had a ride on a "real train" on The Picc down to Acton - "That's not a real train Chris, real trains only run on the green lines"

So from myself, Chris (SE13) I say goodnight, thank you for everything I've had the pleasure of learning, thanks for allowing me to share my thoughts with others and thanks for a fantastic community here you created.

Val and Chris my thoughts are with you not only now, but every day I click on to this site, and rest assured that the long lasting legacy in the form of this forum will live on.

District Dave, 16/01/52 - 17/03/11 I salute you, bid you farewell. Passed on, but never forgotten.

Amen to all those sentiments!

[Deleted]

I echo what has been said above...

Seems like a thoroughly good send off... Just unfortunate I could not be there either.

Rest In Peace, Dave.

[Ben]

I can't really add more to whats been said. The crem. was packed, as was the venue afterwards. Indeed we only left there about an hour ago! But as I said a few times whilst there, what better tribute could any man ask for than the sight of just how many people his life and death has brought together, and indeed has yet to bring together. An extraordinary day, and the warmth of his family was obvious to all.

Green and pleasant land indeed

God bless, Dave.

[Deleted]

Glad he got the send-off he deserved. Thanks for letting us know how it went.
I was gutted that I couldn't get down personally but work and finances prevented it, but I had a few minutes of silence and reflection at 1.15pm.

[mrfs42]

It was quite simply the most powerful and heartfelt rendition of 'Jerusalem' I have ever heard.

A truly apt and fitting send off to a much-missed person; summed up in the closing words of the service:

Life should NOT be a journey to the grave
with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive
and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways,
body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming
WOO HOO what a ride!

Hunter S. Thompson, I think.

Goodbye Dave.

[Deleted]

I just heard about this and am sorry to hear the sad news.

RIP

[Deleted]

R.I.P.

Thank you Dave for creating such an awesome and informative site and community.

[tubeprune]

This is a message from Val, Dave's widow:

Chris and I were completely overwhelmed on Monday by the number of Dave’s friends and colleagues who came along to his funeral. We felt it was a real tribute to him that so many were able to be there. I wish I could have met and thanked everyone personally.

We, and his family have been so touched by all the tributes on the Forum as well as the donations to his favourite charity, Help for Heroes. The kindness and depth of feeling is very moving.

It was also nice to see some of the photos of ‘the other Dave’ posted, and the picture of him driving in #158 is very special because of course it’s Dave as I never saw him.

So on behalf of Dave’s family and myself, thank you all so much.

With best wishes

Val

[Deleted]

(I've only just picked on this very sad news)

RIP Dave

[londonboy]

Nice gesture from the company to mention Dave and also The "District Dave Underground" site on the weekly company email (Including a link to the site) I thought the comments from Dave's Managers were also very nice too, for non staff members they mentioned how they would consult with Dave about a number of things because in a nutshell he knew everything there was to know about the District Line
Just goes to show how well liked he was at work as well as on here too.

R.I.P Dave

[Deleted]

So saddened to read of Dave's passing. Dave has left a legacy for all of us and touched all of our lives with this forum. Rest in peace, you will be missed by many.

[younglulnerd]

Even though I never met him or really talked to him on the forum, from wat people have said, he sounds really nice. Would have loved to meet him. And if he created this site and his blog, he must have really loved his job. Some people that work for TfL should pick up on that (C11 bus drivers, I'm talking to you)

R.I.P. Dave

[Deleted]

This is very sad news indeed... My condolences are here: josephleebevan.blogspot.com/2011/03/golf.html which links to: london-underground.blogspot.com/2011/03/rip-district-dave.html

[21146]

Apr 9, 2011 11:42:48 GMT @younglulnerd said:

But seriously, even though I never met him or really talked to him on the forum, from what people have said, he sounds really nice. Would have loved to meet him. And if he created this site and his blog, he must have really loved his job. Some people that work for TfL should pick up on that (C11 bus drivers, I'm talking to you)

R.I.P. Dave

Going off-topic but I'm not sure people should be expected to love their job, even if "DD" (whom I never consciously met) did.

For many people a job is just a job, nothing more or less, although they should do it to the best of their ability and not allow any dislike to affect their performance (not always easy).

In the transport world most employees will not be enthusiasts and will probably have little real interest in the subject after working hours.

Indeed being an enthusiast can be a disadvantage as I have known people whose whole attitude has changed because the Routemasters (or even trolleybuses!) were withdrawn, or they were forced to go OPO, or were privatised and kicked out of the LT pension fund etc etc.

Even on LU there are some people who have never forgiven "management" for imposing OPO, or Company Plan; and if they have a love of the system, of historic rolling stocks (will include A Stock soon), or time-honoured ways of working; then this can focus a resentment out of all proportion at times.

(It's interesting that nobody ever slagged-off the 9-Point Plan, which was an LT-wide early 1970s initiative, because that improved pay and conditions right across the combine at a time of extreme staff shortage. The only "losers" appeared to be staff who were on the cusp of 25 years service, whereupon they got sick pay, only to find the qualification period suddenly drop to 3 years!)

I know some of these people - indeed I probably see one in the mirror on occasions. The point is, having a great love of your work in the transport industry isn't always such a good idea long-term.

Mind you I"m sure "DD" never suffered from this and rose to all changes and challenges willingly.

Mod EDIT to reflect poster's changes to quote

[younglulnerd]

Also just found that Dave drove the train in the Video 125 District and East London Lines video. Don't know if this has been posted here before, so for those who want to know, he did the Richmond to Upminister, and it says that he drove it in the video, and it costs £20 from the Video 125 website.

[Phil]

Apr 13, 2011 8:24:53 GMT @younglulnerd said:

Also just found that Dave drove the train in the Video 125 District and East London Lines video. Don't know if this has been posted here before

Yes it has - several times .

[Deleted]

And, as he himself mentioned in another thread, he provided technical information for the video.
districtdave.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=district&action=display&thread=15441