Category: Community (Warminster)

Tuesday 16th September 2025

Two stalwarts of Warminster Carnival, namely John Rich and his partner Pam Mitchell. The photo was taken at their home at Bread Street (or should I say Lower Bread Street?) on Friday 2nd November 2001.

If you are eagle-eyed you may notice that John is holding a quiz sheet and a gift voucher card, and Pam is holding a book: Thorburn’s Birds by Archibald Thorburn (edited by James Fisher). Back in the good old days I used to organise a lot of quizzes and treasure hunts, for fun and to raise funds for local charities and community projects. On this occasion I had put out a postal quiz, the answers to which were all birds’ names. John and Pam achieved the most correct answers and won the first prize which included the voucher and the book. I wasn’t surprised they won, as John was a keen quizzer and sometimes organised quizzes himself.

John was a builder and handyman. He died earlier this year, only a few weeks ago. The last time I saw him he was dog walking with his daughter and grandson (from Swindon) at Gooseacre Lane, down at Smallbrook.

Pam married David Mitchell in 1962. Pam was well known – she worked in Woolworths at High Street, Warminster, for many years. Pam and I found ourselves together on many occasions – one that particular stands out is when we met Matt Baker from BBC tv’s Countryfile, we both had our photographs taken with him. I knew Pam’s parents very well too – Fred Byrne and Nora Byrne (nee Turner), from Ash Walk.

Pam died during 2022. I remember, at her funeral at the Minster Church on Monday 26th September 2022, everyone who attended was given a packet of forget-me-not seeds with a message on the packet which read: “In loving memory of Pam Mitchell, 23 July 1939 – 28 August 2022. Please plant these seeds and grow them in memory of Pam.”