ROBIN WILLIAMS
1940 – 2020
Robin Williams was one of those supporters for whom Brentford was family. First taken to Griffin Park by his father with his brother, he later took his own son to the New Road Stand where they were season ticket holders. His brother in law and nephews are Bees fans living in New Zealand who get to games whenever they are in the UK.
He was born in Hanworth, Middlesex, the youngest of 3 children born to Herbert and Susan Williams. His sister Pat has lived in New Zealand for many years and his brother Jack (known as JockBee to readers of the Griffin Park Grapevine message board) now lives in Scotland.
Robin spent most of his childhood in Hanworth attending Oriel School. The family moved to Teddington when Robin was 12 years old and a year later he was enrolled as a boarder at Holbrook Royal Naval School in Suffolk as his father was ex Royal Navy. Robin spent two years at boarding school and loved the sport side of it especially cricket –he became known as the “demon bowler”. He left boarding school when he was 15 years old. However, the lure of civvy street did not appeal to him for long and at the age of 18 he enlisted in the Royal Navy and trained as a Writer dealing with pay and allotments at HMS Ceres in Yorkshire. On completion of his training he was drafted to HMS Orion in Devonport where his brother Jack was serving.
In 1958 his parents moved from Teddington to Somerset to take over the Half Moon Inn in Stoke-sub-Hampden but unfortunately his father died suddenly of a heart attack after only 6 months. Robin served as a Writer on board HMS Orion, HMS Forth and the aircraft carrier HMS Albion – a time in his life he really enjoyed.
When he left the RN after 7 years’ service as he was then a married man with a son he lived in Feltham and he was always interested in the computer and IT field. He worked for many years for various companies in the UK. On retirement he moved to Blackwater, Hampshire and, apart from supporting Brentford FC, he filled his time writing, playing tennis as well as helping out with his two grandchildren.
Robin and Jack’s love of Brentford Football Club was initiated by their father who said people normally support their local team and as they were still living in Hanworth at the time he took the two boys to reserve games on a Saturday afternoon. When they got older the boys cycled to Brentford leaving their bikes at a safe house in Ealing Road while the game was on.
One of Rob‘s memories, which he often mentioned to his family, was about the day King George VI died which happened to be when Brentford were playing at Luton in an FA Cup replay. They were waiting for the bus from Hanworth to Hounslow in full football supporter regalia when a group of women at the bus stop began to hassle them about ‘going to a football match on such a day’. Jack says Robin never forgot that.
Robin was diagnosed with Vascular Dementia about two years ago and spent the last 18 months in a Care Home . His family say he was very well looked after, especially when he was taken ill.
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