The Ambridge Socialist
31st October
Bert Fry (1936-2021). A proletarian hero
Bert Fry, the Bard of Borsetshire, is dead. He was found in his seat at The Bull on Monday
It came a day after the Bard of Borsetshire had read some of his Borsetshire Lad poems at the Brookfield Harvest Supper. Bert’s poems about rural life were not however his most noteworthy achievement.
Although never reported by the BBC he was the long-time Secretary of Borsetshire Trades Council. He never lost a negotiation with his employer David Archer. He was also a member of the Borsetshire Communist Party before it wound up in 1990.
Bert Fry was a determinedly rural character and the last born before World War Two in the Archers after the sad demise of Joe Grundy. With his death an era ends. Clarrie Grundy, the daughter of Jethro Larkin, is now the senior rural proletarian in Ambridge.
Meanwhile Eric Allan the actor who has played Bert Fry for 25 years, is fortunately far from dead. Rather he has decided to retire at 81, according to the BBC at least in part to collect conkers.
Perhaps there should be an annual Ambridge conkers tournament in memory of Bert
BBC Tribute
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/21QBp5NJ1XzQMCsKRYKQ8Bw/farewell-to-bert-fry
Trevor Fry visits
Bert’s son Trevor Fry has paid a visit to Ambridge following his father’s death. Trevor has a remarkable similarity to actor Julian Rhind-Tutt. He has the capacity to hold a conversation about nothing very much at some length. Some of the other residents of the village seem to think that this means Trevor is boring without realising that this is exactly the same way they go on themselves.
Halloween in Ambridge
It appears Joleen has decided to cancel the Bull’s Halloween event out of respect to Bert. However the film show at Lower Loxley is going ahead compered by Call Me Russ and Freddie. Russ and Trevor would surely get on well together..
Leave a Reply