Tributes to kindly Simon
A “gentle and kindly” man who lived much of his life on the canal in Bath has passed away aged 71.
Simon Whitbread was wellknown among the Kennet and Avon boaters, but in a past life he had been a delivery driver and a street artist.
He even had one of his drawings – Beer and Cider – hung in the Tate Gallery.
His brother Rhoddy remembered him fondly: “He was a very kind and giving sort of guy, and very interesting to talk to. He used to go to Glastonbury Festival before it became the cool thing to do.
“But for quite a long time we had relatively limited contact because he wanted to maintain his seclusion.”
Simon was born in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and grew up with Rhoddy, and sister Lynette, near Portsmouth, as their father was in the Navy.
The family moved around a lot – first to Freshford, outside Bath, then to Weston.
After a stint working for a hotel in Scotland, Simon went to Westminster College in London to become a chef, Rhoddy explained.
“I remember his 21st in a nightclub in the West End – which seemed quite exotic to an 18-yearold student. He seemed well known at the club and he made a splendid bavarois for dessert,” he said.
It was while he was living in north London that he met June, a “sensible teacher” who would become his wife.
The couple moved to Peterborough, where Simon took up a job as a lorry driver and their daughter, Emily, came along.
But, after several years of “happy holidays in Bournemouth and fantastic family trips to Center Parcs”, things began to fall apart, Rhoddy explained.
“Sadly, Simon and June separated and Simon bought a house in Peterborough when they divorced.
“Finance was never one of Simon’s strengths, and while he was married June took control – but living alone he became increasingly in debt.
“Combined with the huge stresses of a delivery driver schedule – before sat nav – the massive increase in mortgage repayments of the Nineties and negative equity on the house, one day he just disappeared,” Rhoddy said.
After that, no one saw or heard of Simon for years, despite his father’s determined efforts to find him, and he was registered as a missing person.
He was briefly spotted “wandering in Wales” but did not show any desire to come home.
Rhoddy said: “Dad died in 1998 never knowing what had happened to Simon.
“My sister Lynette had been at Bath High School and one day, while on a school reunion, she found a homeless man on the pavement near Bath Abbey.
“Simon had a distinctive Mallen streak in his hair and Lynette couldn’t believe he could be our missing brother.
“She went over and said ‘Simon?’ to which he responded ‘Yes, that’s my name’ but he appeared to have no recollection of Lynette.”
The rest of the family then travelled to Bath and were able to confirm that the man was Simon. However, he had suffered some sort of terrible memory loss and couldn’t remember what had happened to him.
“He was earning some money drawing simple pictures and he claimed one of his pictures had been exhibited in the Tate Gallery – at which point I thought ‘Yes, and I can walk on water.’
“But I later discovered that indeed his picture Beer and Cider had been hung at the Tate, and Lynette visited the Folk Art Exhibition to see it,” Rhoddy said.
Simon went on to use his share of his father’s estate to buy a narrowboat – The Jolly Wassail – and he lived “outside of the authorities” on the Kennet and Avon canal for many years.
To avoid paying mooring fees, he survived as a continuous cruiser, with other boaters pitching in to help when his engine broke down.
“I took over helping with his banking and so on, because it’s incredibly difficult to live in the 21st century when you don’t have a fixed address or a bank account or a passport,” Rhoddy said.
It was during his life on the canal that Simon made friends with Jill, Tim and Rod at The Raven pub on Queen Street in Bath.
“The Raven was Simon’s extended family and home from home. It is a truly extraordinary social hub and even when Simon turned up totally dishevelled he was always welcome,” Rhoddy said.
He added that Simon’s daughter Emily had been “immensely supportive” over the last few years and gave Simon great joy by bringing his grandson, Jack, to visit.
By 2016, Simon’s health had begun to deteriorate and his family arranged for him to be moved to a flat in Batheaston, where he would have carers coming in and out.
His brother added: “Our last social event was at The Raven in September 2020 with Simon, Rod, Emily, Lynette and cousin Mary.
“It was really difficult for Simon to even get into the pub because his mobility had deteriorated so much. Even so, this past year he had been much happier than for several years due to the fantastic team of carers.”
On April 17, Simon passed away peacefully in hospital with his family by his side.
Rhoddy said: “Simon was a gentle, kindly soul who never had a bad word for anyone. He was ambitious in his ideas and positive in his outlook. We are glad the last few years of his life were more comfortable and that we have had the chance to say goodbye.”