It is with much regret that I write to inform you that Fred of Green Jacket Close died in hospital yesterday afternoon. His health had not been good for some time and for the last couple of years had at times made frequent visits both to his doctor and hospital. The significance of the date of his death, 25 August, will not have escaped him or his many friends.

Like a true Rifleman he insisted that all was well and continued his flair for organising events in the Close and Rifle Brigade Birthday barbeque.

Funeral Arrangements

The Funeral Service for the late Fred Coldham will be on Wednesday 15 September at 1300hrs, in the Chapel of Sir John Moore Barracks, Andover Road North, Winchester SO22 6NQ.

The Committal Service will follow at approximately 1400hrs at the Basingstoke Crematorium near the junction of the A33 and A303. RG25 2BA

After the Service the family have invited all to take part in refreshments at the Bell Inn, St Cross Road Winchester, SO23 9RE

Note: The title of what was the ATR is now the ATFC-Army Technical Founding College and because of the age group, 16 year old male and female and the security that imposes, there will be a requirement to notify the College names of those going to Freds funeral.

Please telephone me on 01962 852668 if you intend to go and I will let the College know.

Ron Cassidy

Eulogy By Ron Cassidy 

Fred was born in West Ham on the seventh of July 1935, he and a younger sister Pam were raised in the area; his parents had many brothers and sisters who also lived in West Ham.

At the outbreak of war he and his mother were evacuated, they didnt like this returning to what frankly was a very unsafe area-there was obviously something about the East End of London the Germans didnt like but that didnt seem to worry the Coldhams. The family spent many uncomfortable nights in their Anderson shelter. By this time Freds father was off to war serving in the Kings Own Scottish Borderers.

 At the age of 11 Fred won a scholarship to go to college in Stratford, the first boy in his school to achieve this, to study to be a draughtsman, but he didn't enjoy it at all and spent much of the time bunking off to go fishing, which  he enjoyed a great deal more. I can understand this, growing up in post war London, having survived all the bombs and fires, so many of us became free spirits, though my teacher in 1947 an ex Paratrooper, knew how to control my spirits-his solution the cane. Can feel it now!

Little then, would Fred have had any inkling, that he would have three sons, Freddie, Tony and Barry, a daughter Gerry, six grandchildren and two great grandchildren and I can vouch from many conversations  his love and affection for one and all.

He joined the Rifle Brigade at the age of eighteen in April of 1953, becoming a three year regular soldier.

Serving with the 1st battalion stationed in Celle, Germany but shortly afterwards the battalion returned to Bulford in England to prepare to go to Korea. This was cancelled whilst the advance party to Korea was in Singapore.

Fred then found himself, like some in this congregation, with the battalion in Kenya; he by now a Corporal was one of the instructors to train budding Corporals. I have a video of this Cadre and the standard of smartness, drill and the double past was as good as I have ever seen on any parade ground, let alone on the plains of East Africa. He left the army in 1956 though continued his Territorial Army commitment for some years. Pam his sister recalls that one year he asked her for a crash helmet as a birthday present; for he was doing Sky-diving with the TA-he hadnt lost his free spirit!

Having left the army he finally settled with his employment in the London Fire Service which he loved doing, becoming a sub-officer, he was forced to take early retirement because of injuring his knee clambering across a roof on a call out. Typically of him, leading from the front.

In 1973 Fred a founder member of Warley Stars Sports and Social Club, helped build Warley Stars from a group of lads meeting to play football to an established sports and social club with an extensive membership.

Not just a football club but also its own darts, netball, table tennis and cricket teams.  He not only building the sporting teams up, but was also the main organiser of the building works for the first major clubhouse. He made several trips to Germany; this as part of the Brentwood town twinning, he became good friends with many members of Sports Club Grosschwarzenlohe as a result of several exchange trips over a ten year period.

His retirement from the fire service gave him the chance to dedicate more time to the club and at one stage he was in charge of both Tony's adult football team which he had brought through from a youth side to successful adult team, and Barry's young U8 team. He became Bar Steward at the club and the family feels he would have loved this job, a chance for him to regale his captive audience with his many army and fire fighting stories.

The family tells a story of a Sunday lunch when both Barry and Tonys teams had won that day, with Barry and Tony both scoring. Rather than let them bask in the glory he reminded them of the tackles, headers and chances they had not done so well with on the day. That was the kind of manager he was, always striving for perfection.

He played semi professional football for most notably Clapton. A robust forward, he would always make sure his opposing centre half knew he was in for a game early on with a kick or two to show he wouldn't be bullied. A prolific scorer one of his favourite stories was how he scored a hat trick in one game entirely made up of goals scored by bundling the keeper and the ball into the net, which would never be allowed today.  He represented the Fire Brigade at international level and scored against his German equivalents in the Olympic stadium in Munich.

In July of 1981 he and a crew of five from his fire division rowed the navigable length of the Thames from Lechlade Bridge in Gloucestershire to Southend Pier in Essex, just a mere 209 miles, in 53hrs and 2 minutes-no wonder they are in the Guinness Book of Records.

What a life but the story doesnt end here.

He moved into Green Jacket Close in 2002 and his home became somewhere that could be visited and you could be sure of a warm welcome. Fred made an instant impact, an impact that was to affect all who lived there, he annually organized, the summer tea party, the Fireworks display and party, the Remembrance Service, all of these at Green Jacket Close and The Rifle Brigade Birthday Party at St Cross All the events helped and manned from some in the Close, the Coldham family with Wanda and Tanya. He made a very real life difference to those in the Close.

As the wife of an officer from another regiment remarked to me recently- he put the Close on the map and set the standard.

His last Regimental activity was to combine with Hannah Walter who runs the Bell Inn in St Cross where he made so many other friends. They both considered that the 11th Light Brigade should have a proper welcome as they entered Winchester from St Cross for their Homecoming Parade.

Duly summoned by Fred, eleven of us produced a Guard of Honour bedecked with medals, berets and green blazers-the oldest was 90 years young-Hannah allowed the Bell Inn to be adorned with all the former Green Jacket flags and literally hundreds of people turned up to line St Cross Road to give all the 11th Light Brigade, a thank you and a welcome home.

Also on behalf of one and all our thanks to Erika Towns for the time and dedication she spent in looking after Fred, especially in these last eighteen months of his life, you were a tower of strength to him-Erika thank you.

15 September 2010