I never met David Walsh. At least not in person. I first came across him in 2021 when he started writing articles for North East Bylines. His articles were all about Teesside, as were mine. So, we started to correspond.
His articles were also well written and covered a wide range of topics – from the recent plans to set up a branch of Eton in Middlesbrough, to how a year spent working in Billingham inspired Alduous Huxley’s Brave New World. And while Huxley was there, he quite possibly worked on the site of the now long-forgotten Seaton Snook; once a shanty town near the banks of the Tees; forgotten by everyone but David, whose account of it brought it back to life.
When I say we corresponded, that could run to half a dozen emails a day. He was very well informed and his advice was always sound. A person you could rely on, and whose willingness to help seemed unlimited.
His death in late July came as a shock. He had not been unwell, despite being confined to wheelchair for several years. Something had to be said. His passing had to be acknowledged. But it was at this point that I realised that, in reality, I hardly knew him. Knew nothing of his past. I managed to garner a few facts about his life, but the facts on their own don’t present an image of the life that was behind them.
Tributes
Fortunately, the tributes given at his funeral achieved just that, and their authors, Val Hart and Bill Suthers have kindly agreed to allow North East Bylines to publish them. David, as it turns out, dedicated many years to local government on Teesside, his list of achievements was large, and the respect in which he was held crossed all political boundaries. We are grateful to Val and Bill for allowing us to share their insight into David’s life.
Scott Hunter
Tribute for David Walsh given at his funeral
By Celebrant Val Hart, accredited Humanists UK
Dave was born in Bexley, Kent, in 1949, the son of an Irish immigrant from Country Mayo, who died when he was about two. His birth certificate records that his father was a “corrector of the press” or proofreader. We know very little about Dave’s early life, although we know he was politically active at an early age, and there is a photograph of him, in his teens, protesting against the Vietnam war, outside the American Embassy — but other than that, he appears to have arrived in Teesside, fully formed, as a most improbable crane driver. I’m just speculating here, but I don’t suppose the Financial Times was required reading in the steelworks.
So today we’ll celebrate what he chose to share – which was plenty. And so, his story today starts with his involvement in the Labour Party; it’s how most of us came across him, and where he very soon made his mark.
I distinctly remember the first time I saw Dave and I’m sure my experience will resonate with many of you. It was in the 1980s at the CCVS centre in Princes Road, Middlesbrough, and Dave was the county council representative. He was sat on the stage with other speakers. This dishevelled character made his way to the microphone, a rip in his jacket appeared to have been mended with string, and I thought the Labour Party had achieved a new low, and believe me, that would have taken some doing. And then – this articulate, erudite, intelligent man, with the posh southern accent – I’ve never forgotten it. My other very strong memory of Dave is seeing him swig red wine straight from the bottle at one of Mary Booth’s barbeques, and there we have the two contrasting sides to the man.
Intelligence and politics
I wasn’t the only person to be impressed by Walshie. I’ve spoken to a lot of people to try to construct the jigsaw of Dave’s life, and nearly everyone starts off with his intelligence, the breadth of his knowledge and his legendary memory and grasp of detail. As you all know, Dave devoted much of his life to local politics, and he was first elected to Cleveland County Council, representing Hemlington, in 1985, and in 1989, he was elected by the county councillors to chair the powerful environment, development and transportation committee. And of course, Dave was in his element as a key member of a progressive authority with a budget of over £500 million. County Council leader Paul Harford remembers Dave’s brilliant intellect, grasp of issues, ability to read and absorb information from complex government circulars and bring out the salient points. And Paul commented that he could leave Dave safely to get on with the job – his judgement was sound. He could make decisions and he usually got it right.
Transport
Probably the biggest disappointment in Dave’s political career was the failure to introduce a Light Rapid Transport System or LRT. Apparently, he had Michael Portillo convinced but not the residents of Acklam, Middlesbrough – he was ahead of his time. And wouldn’t it be fantastic to be able to stand here today and celebrate the successful introduction of a Teesside Metro as Dave’s legacy to the area? I have it on good authority that he could still argue the finer points of the scheme – and frequently did!
The transport brief played to Dave’s strengths. He loved a timetable. Dave Budd (former Middlesbrough mayor) informs me that there is an annual publication of the UK network train timetable, it’s about three inches thick and Walshie used to read it from cover to cover. And as someone reliant on public transport he knew the local train and especially bus timetables off by heart. His time at the county coincided with a golden age for public services and as part of the ‘Fares, fare’ policy – our local buses were heavily subsidized. Not least of them the bus that left Middlesbrough for Skelton, via The Apple Tree! – them’s the breaks!
On a good night, his knowledge of timetables enabled him to get from The Apple Tree in Coulby Newham to The Ship in Guisborough and be back in time for last orders in The Green Inn at Skelton.
Preserving and creating jobs
Dave worked hard to preserve and create jobs across the county. The economic development brief involved encouraging inward investment and the county offered financial inducements to attract the South Korean tech giant Samsung to Cleveland, and after a successful meeting, a press release went out mistakenly praising the North Korean company. Dave responded to the teasing coming his way by quipping – “it was the only way I could get it through the Labour Group!”
The media
Dave recognised the importance of the media in getting the county’s message across and Michael Morrisey remembers that when he was a Gazette reporter, reporting on development news, Dave took the unusual step of visiting him at his office. He wanted a fair crack of the whip, and he got it from Michael’s reporting. They struck up a rapport which continued when they bumped into each other in Saltburn on a regular basis.
Politics
When the county was abolished, Dave stood for election in Redcar and Cleveland. And although he wasn’t a native, he had put down strong local roots, was a visible and instantly recognised local character. He represented Loftus from 1996 to 2003. Then Skelton from 2013 until 2019. During this time, he was leader of the council and then, when re-elected in 2013, was deputy to Sue Jeffrey and he was the lead member for Adult Social Care. And like Paul Harford, Sue testified to his command of his brief, his wealth of knowledge across all sectors of the council’s work. If Dave said he would do something, it got done, he could be relied on. And both Paul and Sue stress that Dave was highly respected by the officers he worked with and had the grudging respect of the councillors representing rival parties.
It has to be said though, brevity wasn’t his strong suit! He certainly added to the length of CLP meetings. When he was secretary of MSEC (Middlesbrough South and east Cleveland), he made the most of the correspondence. And then, he always insisted on speaking to every item on the agenda. His questions were as long as the answers. He was a stickler for party rules and protocol and if the chair tried to hurry him, he would insist on his right to speak. When Wes Streeting was invited to lead a Zoom meeting for Redcar CLP, Dave gave himself equal billing. He fell out with (former MSEC MP) Ashok Kumar a few times while he was working for him, because he insisted on asking awkward questions at constituency meetings – Ashok pointed out, that he had 40 hours a week to ask any question he wanted and would he please not save them for a Friday night! In later years he mellowed and became more of an elder statesman than an agent provocateur and (local campaigner) Kath Sainsbury and (former Redcar MP) Anna Turley have both commented that his contributions at meetings were constructive and conciliatory.
Although much of Dave’s knowledge came from a lifetime of reading, when he was made redundant from the steelworks, he enrolled at Teesside University as a mature student, taking a degree in modern history – with a dissertation on private housebuilding in the North East, during the 1920s. No one could accuse him of being a populist! Pete Widlinski, ex-chief of the charity Justice First, remembers, driving in the Yorkshire Dales, canvassing for Dave Bowe. And Walshie had South American revolutionary songs blasting over the loudspeaker – so no doubt that lost a few votes. And Dave Budd remembers him entertaining the bemused electorate of Hemlington with the music of Shoenburg.
He ran Ashok Kumar’s office and later worked for his successor, Tom Blenkinsop, specialising in case work in which he excelled. Teesside University’s Mark White was occasionally on the receiving end if a constituent complained about the university. Dave was fair and even handed, recognised that there were often two sides to a story, but would be tenacious in ensuring that the university put things right if they were found at fault. In his casework role, Dave helped many local people fill out forms to claim the benefits owed them. Eventually he represented constituents in welfare tribunals, and he never lost a case. And he was always happy to share his expertise, Anna Turley notes how helpful he was to Sarah and Charlie, her caseworkers. However, he didn’t always contribute to the productivity of his colleagues in the office – he would bang away noisily on the keyboard and they would put their pens down in resignation when he leaned back in his chair, looked to the ceiling, closed his eyes and held forth.
Curiosity and writing
Its often said that Aristotle was the last man to know everything – however, I’m making a pitch here for Walshie. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “I think at a child’s birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift would be curiosity”. For humanists, curiosity is a virtue. Dave had it in spades and it enriched his life.
He was an enthusiastic reader and compelling writer. His knowledge was prodigious and wide ranging, and he didn’t wear it lightly. Mark White recalls a conversation, in which a throwaway comment that he was off to see his mam in Stoke, led to a conversation about Etruscan pottery – which was common in pre-Roman Italy between the 7th and 5th century BC – who knew? Well obviously, Dave! He followed up the conversation with a quiz question the following Sunday.
And local publications and online blogs were outlets for him to share his knowledge. For the last 12 years, Dave wrote a monthly column of offbeat local history for Coastal View and Moor News, under the pseudonym – Hollie Bush – a nod to the pub in Skelton. He didn’t require payment; he just loved to research and share his knowledge. Like everyone, editor Lynn Nichols comments that Dave was reliable – filing copy every month, he never let them down and even in June, when he was very ill, he contacted Lynn to say that he was having IT problems and wouldn’t be able to write.
He wrote a column for the Gazette at one point, under the nom-de-plume Albert Park, posing as a chap sitting on the park bench, musing about local politics. For those active locally, Albert Park was obviously Dave.
An article written for a blog about the confrontation in Stockton between the Mosley’s British Union of Fascists and local left-wingers in 1933, led directly to the annual Battle for Stockton commemoration. He writes in an engaging way, drawing us into the events of the day when local left wingers, 2,000 strong, ambushed a “black-shirted and jack-booted phalanx of Moseley’s army”. It’s an uplifting story of courage and idealism and full marks to Dave for his research, reminding us of this period in our history.
His interest in local history and his patronage as a local councillor came together in his support for Craig Hornby’s documentary about Eston’s iron and steel industry – A Century of Stone. Craig posted on Facebook recently, that he had emailed Dave, who met him the next day. Despite opposition from some councillors Dave was instrumental in securing a grant of £5,000, the biggest arts grant the council had given at that point. And that paved the way for the substantial funding that followed from Nesta and the Arts Council. So, another notch on the belt.
North East Bylines
And later North East Bylines gave Dave a new lease of life. He wrote regularly, often about local issues and he used it to challenge the government and local politicians, particularly Houchen. Recently he was onto freeports and had the time and the inclination to wheedle away at the firewall surrounding the combined authority.
As a former sixth form teacher I was delighted that one of Dave’s last articles was about the bonkers idea of bringing Eton to Middlesbrough. He produced an erudite, well researched article to demolish the idea. And even last month he was writing about the shameful policy of sending our asylum seekers to Rwanda – delighting when the plane didn’t take off. It’s remarkable that when his body was packing in, his brain was still so alert, and he still had fire in his belly.
Obituary in The Times
He was such a prolific contributor to the feedback section in The Times – filling in historical detail and perspective – that he earned an obituary in the paper. The first time they’ve ever written an obit for someone famous simply for being a reader of that paper. So, he’ll take his place in the pantheon amongst the war heroes, politicians, law lords and rock stars. After the obituary was published 150 people posted messages underneath it – all people who’d read and appreciated Dave’s online comments.
Quizzes
And of course, he also used his prodigious knowledge as a quizzer – hosting a Sunday morning Facebook quiz, as well as regular gigs at The Ship in Guisborough where the questions could have been about everything and anything, although it was an advantage to know that Dave’s particular musical area of expertise was 50’s and 60’s rock n roll – and that’s why we came in today to Elvis. And he usually got the answer to the Sunday Times‘ notoriously difficult ‘Where Am I?’ competition.
A well-known figure around town
Dave never indulged in personality politics; he was hard to place politically although he would probably have seen himself as left of centre. He wasn’t a plotter, although like all of us he liked a gossip, enjoyed the political intrigue. He has friends from different wings of the party and across the political divide. And similarly, in his blog posts and online comments – he was never a troll, always well-reasoned and reasonable. Taking on the argument and not the person.
Dave was a well-known figure around town – carrier bag in hand, the full panoply of newspapers under his arm, holding court in the town hall, or one of the local hostelries, reading the paper with a magnifying glass. And as his mobility declined, making his way in his motorised wheelchair, leaving a trail of destruction behind.
Dave, notoriously, wasn’t a paragon of healthy living, but he never gave up. His own health problems and values made him a passionate campaigner for disability rights. When spinal problems affected his mobility, he got appropriate adaptations to his house and got around in a wheelchair; when he lost his council seat in 2019, he became even more prolific in his researching and writing. He coped with Zoom, just, although he wasn’t a fan of the mute button and CLP meetings were held with a backdrop of Dave’s breathing. When he couldn’t get to meetings he sent in resolutions. He was frustrated by the WiFi in hospital and was doing his best to get it sorted. It won’t surprise you to know that I’ve heard on the grapevine that he was perceived in James Cook as a ‘difficult patient’. And he wanted no truck with any Do Not Resuscitate malarkey. He lived his life, on his own terms, until the last – he saw wrongs and he wanted to right them, injustices and he wanted to resolve them, pubs and he wanted to be in them! He lived an idiosyncratic life, and despite failing health he lived it to the full, endlessly curious, a mine of information, a great public servant and comrade, an absolute one-off.
David Walsh: they broke the mould
By Bill Suthers – given at David’s funeral
I got to know David Walsh when I became Redcar Constituency Labour Party (CLP) Chair and David was the secretary. That’s when I started going for an occasional beer with him, initially at the Ship in Guisborough, after he finished work at Wilson Street, and then sometimes on Saturday afternoons, before Covid struck. You can imagine that was a very dangerous activity! At one of those meetings, David asked me to act, in an administrative capacity, as his next-of-kin. I have often reflected how unusual that is, particularly over the last few weeks. Lots of people know David, but he didn’t have any close relatives, he was a complex, enigmatic and self-contained person, so I don’t think anyone knew him really well.
When I went to register David’s death, the registrar asked me about his occupation. She was surprised when after a moment’s thought I said, “politician”. Assuming affirmation she asked, “retired?” I answered, “no”. You could never imagine David considering retirement, could you?
He was always so very calm and collected. I have only seen David really, really angry once. Stodge was the landlord at the Ship. He had carried out some renovation work and as part of that, removed the Red Bass pump. Dave was apoplectic … for weeks … for months.
Whenever I met him on a Saturday afternoon, usually at the Three Fiddles or the Ship, I would make sure I turned up 20 minutes late. That enabled David to get two or three pints ahead. Even then when I went to the bar he’d often say, “Bill, do you mind getting me two pints this time?” I don’t know anyone who could have kept pace with him.
The ‘Walshie Machine’
When he moved into the Dunes at Redcar, he discovered a mobility scooter route to the Turner’s Arms under the racecourse and Redcar Lane. He was pretty dangerous on the ‘Walshie Machine’, pedestrians had to beware. And he never wore a hat or coat even in the depths of winter, no matter how inclement the weather. I once met him there during a snowstorm. No hat, no coat, no concern. Nothing could prevent his quest, to get to the pub.
Rumours
I don’t know anything about David’s romantic relationships, but he could be an outrageous flirt. It was really funny to watch. Some of the lads told me there was a rumour about a woman who worked at the chippy in Skelton because she always gave him extra scraps. I think they might have been having me on! One of his favourite pubs, was the Station at Boosbeck, especially on Sunday lunchtime with the papers. David always flirted like mad with Babs, the landlady there. They shared a love of late sixties rock music and I think he saw Babs as a latter-day Suzi Quatro!
It’s so hard to describe David isn’t it? A one-off … a phenomenon? I bet nobody here ever expects to meet anyone else remotely like David. Yes, certainly a unique character. They broke the mould, eh?
