Sad death of Keith Ball.

[Roger Murray]

I thought it important to record the recent sad death of Keith Ball on this site.

Many of you will know of Keith who had the yard at Stretton on the Shropshire Union, and who was responsible for the saving, restoration, and high quality rebuilding of many of the original old working boats.

 

I think I can say that I owe it to Keith for my own interest in canals.
On a cold and dark winters night in the seventies, I was driving down to London, stopping for a short break near a canal. To this day I can never remember where or which one it was, but have a hunch it was near Stone. In the distance was a tumpt tumpt tumpt kind of sound, which seemed to be getting nearer, then out of the gloom appeared a flickering light as a boat came round the canal bend with its chimney merrily smoking away. Soon to moor up.
That boat was like a self sufficient farm yard afloat, as there were goats, chickens, a nonchalant cat, Keith Ball and his delightful wife.
We got chatting and I was soon invited aboard for a cup of tea. Sitting in front of the glowing stove on that cold night in the magical and whimsical atmosphere of that boat, was for me like entering the pages of a fairy story. So far removed from the frenetic life I had only minutes before left in that car and busy main road. From that time on I was canal hooked! Soon to get the first boat 'Toad Hall.'

 

Over the following years Keith and I became great friends, later to buy the restored ex fish class motor 'Bream' from him.
No trip up, or down the Shroppie would be without mooring up at his yard for a long yarn and a walk round the various remains of interesting named old working boats under restoration.
In later years when I had the ex FMC steamer Monarch, I should add...Still in steam! We used to steam her up and down the canal as he wanted to know what it was like on a steamer, having the rusting remains of the ex steamer 'Sultan' in his yard, which was going to be one of his main future projects.

I remember once taking him to look at a massive ex-Admiralty sea going tug, as he had visions of going to sea, saying it could be low loaded to his yard for a future restoration. Oddly enough his son Barney is now an ocean going tug skipper.
Keith did eventually get a purposeful looking steel built sea going boat which I think is still in his yard, but alas the sea was never to be as he got a rare form of cancer which he bravely battled with for years, still refusing to stop working on those beloved boats. Sadly he recently lost that battle. The canal world, just like Steve Hudson before him has lost one of its great names.

 

Roger.

 

www.rogermurray.co.uk

 

[Bekaybe]

Always a pleasure to read your well written and descriptive posts Roger. The sad loss of Keith Ball was covered in the History and Heritage section in mid February.

 

Give my regards to Oakdale Dave next time you speak to him.

 

As an aside, I gather Bill Richardson is no longer with us. Another sad loss.

[Roger Murray]

Thanks for that Bekaybe. Forgive me but not really sure who you are!
Not seen Dave on Oakdale for a number of years, but believe he is now permanently moored in the Duddon Estuary at Askham,now part of the community. If you go to Google maps and enlarge, you will see the outline of Oakdale up on the sands at Askham.
Sorry to hear about Bill Richards, I knew he heartbroken over the death of his wife, hope this wasn't a contributory factor.

 

Re my posting about the sad death of Keith Ball. I apologise to this group for posting what apparently was old news. With not being conversant with the workings of 'Canal World,' did not realise there are various headings for different postings. Having read through the General Boating heading and seeing no mention of Keith thought would be worthy of mention. Again apologies.

 

Roger

 

www.rogermurray.co.uk

[MtB]

Well I think your post was a very nice and fitting tribute to Keith, Roger. Thank you for posting it.

 

I never managed to actually meet Keith. Posts like yours make me wish I had.

[mrsmelly]

What a brilliant post Roger. I didnt know the guy but I felt that I too were sat with you all on the boat that cold winters night. A refreshing post if ever there was one.

 

Thankyou

 

Tim

[mattlad]

Sorry, I don't go on the History and Heritage part of the forum so this news passed me by.

 

Keith helped Dad and myself out on a few occasions, most notably once when our air filter broke and fell off the engine. Dad just wanted Keith to run a ring of weld around the base but Keith did a really good rebuild and modified it so that it would (hopefully) never break again. Dad and Keith were good friends, they were both involved in the Dover project and later on they considered themselves to be brothers in arms fighting their respective illnesses, giving each other mutual support.

 

RIP Keith.

[zenataomm]

I met Keith twice.

Once when I awoke one morning and found him photographing and measuring "Rigal's" front end.

"How do?" He said. "I've got an order to build one of these." I put the kettle on as he was making a thorough job of it.

 

The second time he was tied up on the Puddle Banks at Braunston, he was wrestling with a goat that had got its tether wrapped around itself, it had also got the better of Keith.

[Up-Side-Down]

Always a pleasure to read your well written and descriptive posts Roger. The sad loss of Keith Ball was covered in the History and Heritage section in mid February. Give my regards to Oakdale Dave next time you speak to him. As an aside, I gather Bill Richardson is no longer with us. Another sad loss.

 

You can reach Dave Keenan on zero seven seven three two eight two nine one one six. Askam in Furness is indeed his location.

[Roger Murray]

Thanks for that Bekaybe. Will give Dave, that intrepid seafarer a bell.

As you know, Dave Keenan got pissed off with the Liverpool maritime museum for not helping fund a repair to his historic Mersey Flat, the 'Oakdale,' which at the time he kept afloat in the Albert Dock. I greatly sympathised with him as the 'Oakdale' is the only surviving Mersey flat afloat, except for one in a sorry state of repair and certainly not afloat, at the Boat Museum at Ellesmere Port.

Why the Liverpool Museum turned their nose up at his request for help is a mystery, possibly because in their eyes it was just a lowly barge, yet the Mersey Flat was so important to the port and its maritime history. Only a few years back when Liverpool was a thriving port, there were literally hundreds of them in and around the Mersey, entirely responsible for the transhipment of cargo from the ships to the various ports in the area. Just as important historically to Liverpool as the Thames lighter and spritsail barge is to London.

Dave, a caretaker at a local school and without much money, and keenly interested in Liverpool's maritime past, saved the Oakdale from certain oblivion by literally digging her out of the mud, then over the following years to painstakingly restore her. All painted up and in her original colours she was a worthy asset to the Albert Dock and the Maritime Museum, certainly a living and floating exhibit and an important part of the Ports heritage.

The 'Oakdale' needed some urgent repairs to her bottom planks, so after the refusal of help from the museum, a well pissed off Dave decided to sail her up to Scotland where he was offered help together with a place to beach her. So with a little propulsion help from a small two cylinder Lister he had installed, I think an HA2. Hardly adequate to move such a large bulk of a Mersey Flat, together with a small sail, he set off one night out into the Irish Sea north bound, with the crew of a friend and a dog. They got into a full North Westerly gale off Morecambe Bay, running with the wind back down the treacherous Lancashire coast and luckily managing to get into the River Ribble in the pitch black, finally coming to rest on the beach at Lytham.
Now the inhabitants of Lytham were not over enthusiastic about this big black hulk suddenly appearing on their beach, often with a string of washing on a line, so after a few weeks he was asked to move. I believe politely, as one would expect at Lytham.

So off he set again, this time with an innocent bystander who happened to be on the beach at the time and unwittingly said he would accompany him.
Another gale off the Cumberland coast blowing them into the Duddon estuary where 'Oakdale' finally came to rest on the sands at Millom. Dave, probably deciding he was having enough of this seafaring and quite liking the area, decided to stay and do the repairs there, but with the dangerous incoming tides, decided to move across the estuary to Askham, where he is to this day. I understand now a fixture and part of the community. A great character, I think worthy of being regaled on these pages.

I called to see him some time ago when he was on the sands at Millom, stupidly leaving it a bit late on leaving the barge, only minutes I might add! That tide comes in bloody fast, having to wade virtually up to the waist to get across an innocent looking rivulet which only minutes before was only inches deep. Frightening stuff!

 

Roger

 

www.rogermurray.co.uk

[boats&goats]

Dear Roger.

 

It has been a bit of a struggle to access this forum but with help from site manager Daniel I have finally made it. My dear friend Clair Butler mentioned your tribute to Keith so I really wanted to read it & be able to respond. I remember the night we met you clearly. I think we were somewhere near Kidsgrove heading north. We came round a corner in the dark & you were standing on the bank on our left shouting to us. We tied up and the rest as they say is history. "Floating farmyard" made me laugh. Yes there were 2 Golden Guernsey goats in the fore-cabin, 2 English Setters + 1 Cornish Rex cat in the cabin but sadly I never had any chickens though would have liked some! I never realised what an impact that evening had on you but am so glad it was good.

Keith always held you in high regard & enjoyed his meetings with you so much. I'd forgotten you had "Bream" for a while. Keith found it (minus the stern end) on an industrial site and restored it back to original full length. I helped design the interior and was sad we didn't keep it. I think at that time with two young sons we were about to move into a house. And "Sultan" now thought to be "Baroness" (& called "Briton" during WW2) is still waiting it's turn. And I also recall him coming back from seeing that ex-Admiralty tug (in Lancs?) enthusing about the possibilities. The motor sailer "Apollonia" a beautiful steel De Waal Kotter is still in our boatyard. I so wanted to get that boat to Paxos our favourite Greek island. I envisaged us spending a few months of the year sailing around the Adriatic & Aegean but that was not meant to be. Cancer is such a cruel disease as so many know. Keith fought multiple myeloma hard for over 5 years having two stem cell transplants along the way. He was working right to the end and hated the periods when he wasn't well enough to go to the boatyard. Having spent 5 years at Sheffield Art College, building boats, especially restoring old ones was like giant sculpture in metal. He had a great "eye" for detail and lines and couldn't stand anything less than perfection. A hard act to follow but we will be doing our best to keep his boatyard running. Thank you so much for your post Roger & please keep in touch.

 

Much love from Christine. x

[Roger Murray]

How lovely to hear from you and thank you for that Christine. So glad you remembered that dark winters night canal-side meeting of so long ago. I am not ashamed to admit that your piece brought a tear.

Roger xx

[johnthebridge]

Dear Roger.

 

It has been a bit of a struggle to access this forum but with help from site manager Daniel I have finally made it. My dear friend Clair Butler mentioned your tribute to Keith so I really wanted to read it & be able to respond. I remember the night we met you clearly. I think we were somewhere near Kidsgrove heading north. We came round a corner in the dark & you were standing on the bank on our left shouting to us. We tied up and the rest as they say is history. "Floating farmyard" made me laugh. Yes there were 2 Golden Guernsey goats in the fore-cabin, 2 English Setters + 1 Cornish Rex cat in the cabin but sadly I never had any chickens though would have liked some! I never realised what an impact that evening had on you but am so glad it was good.

Keith always held you in high regard & enjoyed his meetings with you so much. I'd forgotten you had "Bream" for a while. Keith found it (minus the stern end) on an industrial site and restored it back to original full length. I helped design the interior and was sad we didn't keep it. I think at that time with two young sons we were about to move into a house. And "Sultan" now thought to be "Baroness" (& called "Briton" during WW2) is still waiting it's turn. And I also recall him coming back from seeing that ex-Admiralty tug (in Lancs?) enthusing about the possibilities. The motor sailer "Apollonia" a beautiful steel De Waal Kotter is still in our boatyard. I so wanted to get that boat to Paxos our favourite Greek island. I envisaged us spending a few months of the year sailing around the Adriatic & Aegean but that was not meant to be. Cancer is such a cruel disease as so many know. Keith fought multiple myeloma hard for over 5 years having two stem cell transplants along the way. He was working right to the end and hated the periods when he wasn't well enough to go to the boatyard. Having spent 5 years at Sheffield Art College, building boats, especially restoring old ones was like giant sculpture in metal. He had a great "eye" for detail and lines and couldn't stand anything less than perfection. A hard act to follow but we will be doing our best to keep his boatyard running. Thank you so much for your post Roger & please keep in touch.

 

Much love from Christine. x

 

 

Hello Christine,

Good to see you writing.

Sorry I missed the Hartley Arms, but my excuse was that I was in Ireland. Best of everything to you and may your road rise to meet you.

John Wilkinson.

x

[Roger Murray]

Christine, if you are still checking this post, which I hope you are!

When I replied to your posting about Keith, I was in a mad rush to meet an appointment, so it really was a quicky.

On re-reading, I feel so sorry for not asking how you are and coping. You must have gone through a most awful and sad time, leading up to and losing such a lovely man. If you would like to keep in touch, my number is 07736949474.

Kind wishes

Roger.

[boats&goats]

Dear Roger. Yes I pop in to CWF when I can though am still working out how it all works! _{Please don't worry. I am fine. Mainly due to having so much support from our three boys & their girls. Also I have had a long time to get my head round the inevitable outcome. I do think however that had Keith not picked up a nasty infection that was doing the rounds he would have continued his battle but it was not meant to be. Yes I would certainly love to keep in touch with you & many thanks for your mobile.}

_C.x