R.I.P Ginger Mills

[Dr Clive]

Who?, you might ask..

On page 11 of the Fairport unConventional book is a reproduction of a poster for the ZigZag magazine benefit concert held at the Dunstable Civic Hall in October 1969, at which FC headlined. as well as the list of bands appearing, the poster includes: "Sounds by Jerry Floyd, Lights by Optic Nerve, Bouncer Ginger Mills". Given the proximity of Dunstable to St Albans, I had always assumed that this was "our" Ginger Mills.

He was a character who lived in St Albans when I moved here in the '70s, he occupied an old bus on a piece of derelict land near the town centre. He was one of those people who was known to everyone in the town, he was well-built, dressed typically in jeans, a leather waistcoat (whatever the time of year), a leather broad-brimmed hat, lots of tattoos, and, characteristically, several broad leather belts decorated with horse brasses.

A company wanted to redevelop the land where Ginger's bus was "parked" (it had long-since lost the ability to move!), but he claimed squatters' rights (or some-such), and in the end the developers bought him a brand-spanking new motorhome in which he travelled the country.

Well, he died of a heart attack last Friday (8th Feb) aged 70, in Pershore, which was his other home, and where he had recently moved in to a flat.

DC

[Sam]

What an amazing character !

[Dr Clive]

Very nice appreciation of Ginger from the local paper this week:

http://www.hertsad.co.uk/content/herts/postbag/story.aspx?brand=HADOnline&category=Postbag&tBrand=herts24&tCategory=postbaghadnew&itemid=WEED28%20Feb%202008%2011%3A49%3A22%3A373

(Sorry about the long address, but it should take you right to the letter).

I read elswhere that he spent part of the sixties working for Bertram Mills's circus, and probably took his surname from there, as his father went by the name of Smith.

DC