An old friend of Paul Minns contacted the Archive.

Holy ways of the Net! Few days ago Nigel Wakeham, an old friend of Paul Minns, contacted this Archive just to tell me some memories about the old days in London.

Nigel wrote me this: 

"Paul and I were good friends in the early/mid-sixties but I lost contact with him when I went to work in Africa in 1970. Your archive is fascinating and the music is wonderful. I was very sad to hear about his death when I started looking for him. Regards, Nigel Wakeham".

Paul Minns' father (Francis Minns) with Matthew (Paul's first son).

So after that we had some chats by e-mail and he told me:

"My best story about Paul is of an occasion when we were drinking one Saturday lunchtime in the Finch's pub off Portobello Road when Colin McInnes came in (he was a well known British author in the Fifties and Sixties; maybe you saw the film adaptation of Absolute Beginners?).  Colin approached us and we got talking and he said that he recognised Paul.  What he did not know was that Paul's father who was an illustrator, had illustrated some of his books and he had obviously seen a resemblance in Paul.  He rather took to Paul and we went back to his flat and continued drinking and then he made a play for Paul (McInnes was gay and fairly outrageously so given the period).  Paul not being that way inclined was not interested but we had an enjoyable afternoon for all that!  Paul was at the time sharing an attic flat in Notting Hill with an aspiring poet called Robert (who I would really like to contact but I have forgotten his last name) and I used to visit them quite often.

Paul Minns and Mary Haynes married - Kensington Register Office, March 28th, 1969.

"I tried to contact Paul on my return from Africa quite a few years ago and it was then that I found out that he had taken his own life.  Very sad; he was a really nice guy and really full of life when I knew him."

"I don't think he was married when I first knew him which was earlier than 69, maybe in 64 or 65 and he was then definitely living in Notting Hill (Elgine Crescent I think). Maybe I had lost touch by 69 as I was then in my last year of school of architecture and was working day and night. I used to go with him to his music lessons (clarinet or oboe) with a very well known classical musician who lived in Chiswick (cannot remember his name)."

no©2017 Luca Chino Ferrari (unless you intend to make a profit. In which case, ask first)