Memoirs and Bios

Portrait photograph of Herbert Ashwin Budd in a suit and tie, looking directly forward.

Herbert Ashwin Budd (1881–1950)

Herbert Ashwin Budd (1881–1950) was a prominent British painter renowned for his landscapes and rural scenes. After training at the Royal College of Art, he exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy and Paris Salon. Married to artist Helen MacKenzie, Budd also designed posters for London Transport and taught at St Martin's School of Art from 1929 to 1949. Today, his paintings are featured in major public collections, including the Imperial War Museum.

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Color portrait painting of Helen Margaret Mackenzie, seated in a white dress, holding flowers, with a cat sitting on a shelf behind her.

Helen Margaret Mackenzie (1879–1966)

Born in Scotland, Helen Margaret Mackenzie (1879–1966) was an independent British painter and educator. After training at the Royal College of Art, she built a successful three-decade career producing oil portraits and landscapes exhibited at prestigious venues like the Royal Academy. She married fellow artist Herbert Ashwin Budd in 1915, taught at St Martin's School of Art for twenty years, and remains celebrated today for her skill, resolve, and professional resilience.

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Colorised portrait photograph of Herbert John Budgen wearing a dark Royal Navy sailor uniform with a white lanyard.

Herbert John Budgen (1901–1958)

Born in Sussex, Herbert John Budgen (1901–1958) overcame an illegitimate birth to forge a distinguished 27-year career in the Royal Navy's Catering Branch. Serving through both World Wars, he rose to Chief Petty Officer, managing victualling on warships like HMS Erebus. During WWII, he relocated his family from the Portsmouth Blitz to Sussex. Post-war, he worked as a civilian pastry cook before dying of lung cancer, leaving a legacy of service and family devotion.

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Photograph of Ernest Gordon Roland Lee working meticulously on the intricate internal gears of an antique brass clock.

Ernest Gordon Roland Lee (1926–1991)

Ernest Gordon Roland Lee (1926–1991), known as Gordon, was an English master horologist and craftsman. Born in Eastbourne, he overcame childhood health challenges before marrying Denise Budgen in 1950 and raising five children in Hampshire. He ran "The Time House" in Havant, earning an international reputation for restoring rare, antique clocks. A passionate critic of modern mass-production and an avid maritime history enthusiast, he eventually returned to Eastbourne, where he passed away at 65.

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Vintage black and white sepia-toned photograph of two young boys, the Funnell brothers, dressed in historical choir robes outdoors.

The Funnell Brothersl

This page details the tragic history of the working-class Funnell family from Sussex. Journeyman bricklayer Horace Funnell Sr. raised his sons, Denis and Horace Randall, to join him in the local building trade.
Tragedy struck the family twice within 31 months. In 1929, 19-year-old Denis died of meningitis shortly after joining the Royal Navy. In 1931, 24-year-old Horace Randall was killed in a motorcycle crash caused by a steam lorry's thick smoke.

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