W D Prosser OH 1946-1952
Saturday 26 February 2022
The Club has been informed of the death of David who sadly passed away in February 2022Photo taken at a OHiL Lunch 2017Roger Ridler, Di Prosser & Keith Rippin
What springs to mind when we think of David? Brave, hardworking, honest and fair. He was a modest man, never boastful about his yields, lambing percentages or prices he got for his stock. Many people have said how he inspired them in their younger days and was always so kind and supportive of others. David always called a spade a spade, you knew where you stood with him as he did not suffer fools gladly.William David Prosser was born on 20th May 1936 at the family home Brilley Court, Herefordshire. From an early age David was always a fun person, busy, very independent and always did everything to perfection.He went to Brilley School where he loved football. At school he was called Dai perhaps there was some Welsh in him after all. At 9 years old he went to Hereford Cathedral School as a full boarder, soon after starting obviously missing home, he ran home with his pyjamas up under his jumper, only for his mother to return him to school. He then settled in becoming involved and excelling in both rugby and rowing which he continued to support for the rest of his life. He was very proud when his grandson, Charles took up rowing at Bedford School. David, as many of you know, did not have a singing voice so he was never asked to join the Cathedral choir!.David left school at 16 to work on the family farm. In order to modernise the enterprise he suggested to his father that they should invest in a new bale elevator. After a number of attempts, his father returned home from Hereford market with a new pitchfork. When David asked what it was for, his father said it was the new elevator he had asked for and David would be the engine!.David joined Kington Young Farmers where he met what were to become lifelong friends.David excelled in stockjudging and it was at a training camp to select members for the England team that he met an attractive young farmer, Jill Clarke from Buckinghamshire.David and Jill married on 1st October 1959 and moved to Cedars Farm, in Buckinghamshire. Daughters Barbara, Rosemary arrived and they have gone on to produce 5 grandsons and 3 great grandchildren of whom David was very proud.Over the 62+ years, David and Jill have increased the size of the farm to what it is today and they have always farmed it in a much admired way. During his lifetime he has farmed pigs cattle and sheep, the pigs went in 1963 and the last of the cattle in 1995. Sheep have been his main passion and he has experimented with many breeds over the years, the easycare being in top place as he got older and wanted less work, having said that he has driven the breed to what he thought was getting to be the perfect sheep, breeding out the defects and culling hard when necessary. He was involved with the National Sheep Association formany, many years being a life long member and was Chairman of the South East area for a long time too.The last couple of years have been hard for David but throughout this time he always remained bright and cheerful, he still had that twinkle in his eye.The Christian belief is that David has moved on to a new life and I am sure he is persuading the Lord, the good shepherd that Easycare sheep are the best breed of sheep in Heaven.From Barbara Seamark Davids Daughter