Thursday 24th August 2023
Brian Wilde, of Bishopstrow Court, Warminster, passed away at Salisbury Hospital on Tuesday 15th August 2023. He was 78 and will be sadly missed by his family and friends.
A public notice on the Basingstoke Table Tennis Association website stated: “We are sad to announce the passing of Brian Wilde who died on 15th August. Brian played in the Basingstoke League for many years being a stalwart of the SEB club and also playing regularly in the Basingstoke Closed Championships with some success. He was a canny player giving very few points away, every point against him having to be chiselled out. He will be very fondly remembered by anyone who played with or against him and in particular those of us who were involved with the Basingstoke Stotzheim twinning, including our friends from Stotzheim. Brian was one of the original organisers of the twinning in the 1970s and was a participant up to 2019. He moved to Warminster in the early 2000s and continued to play table tennis and make a considerable contribution there. In short, Brian was a proper gentleman of Basingstoke table tennis. Our thoughts are with his wife Ann and the rest of his family.”
He was an active member and player at Warminster Table Tennis Club and had served as Club Chairman and Welfare Officer. He was also a member of Warminster Lions Club and his face bore an uncanny likeness to Father Christmas on the Club’s Christmas float when it toured the streets on December evenings.
The funeral service for Brian will be held at Salisbury Crematorium on Tuesday 5th September at 12 noon. Family flowers only. Donations, if desired, can be made payable to the Stars Appeal and sent to Iles and Vincent, Funeral Directors, 14 The Cornmarket, Warminster, BA12 9BX.