Bryan George Pole (2 Mar 1933 - 1 May 2018)

In loving memory of Bryan George Pole who sadly passed away on 1st May 2018 aged 85 .

Bryan was born on the 2nd March 1933. His brother and sister, twins John & Jean, were 15 months older. They lived with their parents, Alice & George in the city of Nottingham. They had little money and times were hard however, the children were well cared for and loved.

"A little boy standing at the Midland Railway Station, suitcase in hand and a gas mask strapped across his chest with a large luggage label pinned to his coat."
Bryan was an evacuee, separated from his brother, sister and parents during Operation Pied Piper before the war was declared. It is not known where he went to, or who he lived with, or for how long; Bryan did not recall the details of this early memory other than he was treated well and the family he was placed with were kind to him.

He taught himself to play the cornet at a young age and he joined The Boys Brigade in his teenage years and played in performances. He left school at the age of 14 to take an electrical apprenticeship and he continued to work as an electrician until he was around 21 years of age, at which time he was called upon to do his 2 years national service within the RAF. It's quite likely that the excitement and camaraderie experienced during those uncertain times might have influenced Bryan's decision to quit his career as an electrician and join the police force. He became a dog handler and was known as 'Conrad' during his policing career. An old school copper, he did not suffer fools gladly. Remember 'The Sweeney' or 'A Life on Mars' television series? Bryan kept scrap books of newspaper articles relating to the cases he was involved with. One time when he was off duty, a man flagged him down in the road wanting a lift. He got on the back of Bryan's scooter, held a knife in his back and told him to keep driving. Bryan did as he was told and kept on going. He then asked the man if it was safe to overtake and as the man looked round to check the traffic, Bryan punched him in the neck and they both fell to the ground. A chase ensued and it was a little while later that he managed to disarm and seize the man. It was Bryan's brave actions in this situation that got him a commendation from the Shire Hall magistrates and the Chief Constable.

His love for music and singing resulted in Bryan becoming a tenor in the police choir, he had no trouble reaching those high notes. And he loved his dogs. Dogs were always a big part of Bryan's life: German Shepherd dogs, Dobermans, Border Collies, he loved them all. He worked a lot in Nottingham City Centre on the beat with his police dogs. He trained them to a very high level including drugs and explosives work. Later, Bryan went on to be a trainer i.e. he would train the dog handlers to train the dogs, and he would decide which Officers made it into the dog section...and which ones didn't.

Bryan met Margaret (Meggie) his wife in the early 60's. They would think nothing of riding to London together on his scooter. No crash helmets. No leathers or safety clothing in those days. Meggie would have been typically wearing an A-line style mini dress with american tan tights and stilletos. They would fall off, and they would get back on the bike and carry on. There was one time when they went ice skating in Nottingham and Bryan fell on top of Meggie, knocking her unconscious on the ice. She was tended to by The Red Cross and then Bryan put her on the back of his bike, possibly securing her with handcuffs before riding home. They had a son, Graham Andrew who was born in 1962 and a daughter, Jacqueline Dawn born in 1969. Grandson Ben arrived in 1990 followed by Granddaughter Lily in 2000 and another Granddaughter Keisha in 2007. He was also an uncle and a great uncle. As a father and grandfather, Bryan was firm but fair.

Having served 31 years in the police force, he decided it was time to take early retirement at the age of 55. He built his own business called King Stand Lodge Boarding Kennels and he also bred Border Collies. He became involved with Working Dog's Trials as a hobby, competing at events and very often judging at events too. He eventually left Nottinghamshire relocating to Cambridgeshire where he took a part-time job as an Officer at Whitemoor, a maximum security prison. Eventually, Bryan moved to Emneth opting for a simpler life in the countryside, preferring his own company with his dogs and enjoying his daily routine of feeding the birds. Bryan's friend Chris would check on him daily, having a natter in the mornings and enjoying coffee together with a little tipple of 'brown sugar' or two.

It was on the morning of 28th March 2017 that Chris made his usual daily journey to see his friend. Chris found him lying on the kitchen floor, being guarded by his beloved German Shepherd dog, Vinnie. Bryan had suffered a massive stroke.

The family are very grateful to Chris, who is now an honorary family member. They are also very grateful to the hospital staff at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kings Lynn and the Nursing and Care staff at Orchard House Nursing Home in Wisbech for their wonderful support and care during the last 13 months of Bryan's life.

Bryan's life was not always easy....but it was dramatic and exciting at times. Everyone who knew him would remember him in different ways for different things, but one thing everybody will remember Bryan for was his amazing sense of humour....and his very infectious laugh.

Jacqueline Dawn