David Cooke

Very sadly, as Dave Busfield let some of us know today, our Honorary Life President and initiator of the DTCA has died this week. Michael Driver let me know of his increased disease last week already, but I wasn't aware that the end was near. Although this is very sad, David has lived for an extra sixteen years since his lymphoma was discovered and more or less cured in 2004. It is exactly in those years that he developed so many actions and laid a firm basis for the DTCA. Let's wait until more information will become available. In the mean time my condolences go to Lesley and the family. Kind regards, Jan

Very sad news indeed. I met David a few times at the AGM in Derby, and have been impressed by his knowledge and humour. My condolences go out to his family and friends.

So sorry to learn so bad news. He is, with his wife, the first DTCA member that I met when, as a new member, I went for the AGM 2009 in Derby, during the celebration of the 75th anniversary of Dinky Toys. It was at the Hallmark restaurant the day before the meeting. He was himself having dinner just two tables away from us. All my condolences to his family.

Sad news.A long years ago, my wife gave me a little green booklet about Dinky Toys. I had not noticed the name of the author and put it away after reading it. Several years later I was in business with a firm called Barratt & Cooke in Norwich and after reading the booklet again I noticed the ame of David Cooke and Norfolk is also mentioned on the back cover. Wandering if this David had any link with Barratt & Cooke, I called the company and David was on line after a few seconds. We talked about Dinkys and made an apointment to meet at the Bressingham Steam Musem a few days later. David Cooke and Jacques Dujardin at the Bressigham Steam Museum in the summer of 2005 The car is a British build light fifteen fitted with a Citron BX engine.This is how I met David. David told me about the recently started DTCA and we swaped a years membership against a Dinky Toys Encyclopaedia. In David's attic The next year I visited David at his home in Norwhich and we spent a lot of time in his attic looking at all his boxes stacked between the roof's rafters. DTCA AGM in 2008 at the Midland Hotel, DerbyOf course I attended all the DTCA AGMs until 2015 and enjoyed meeting David every time. David welcoming Derby's Mayor for the opening of the 75th. aniversary of DINKY TOYSI will miss David as I miss several collector friends which unfortunately have left us already. My condolences to Lesley, Alex and all David's familyJacques

Those are fond memories, Jacques. I dug up some other photos of cherished memories, visiting and staying with each other several times since 2004.

Sadly, I have personally never had the benefit nor pleasure of meeting him, but last month read an article in a past Journal about dinky trade boxes and saw his telephone number. I gave him a call and we discussed our common interest, his knowledge put me to shame. One of his requests was for me to send him by post, my list of haves and have nots. Am producing it on my computer and intended to send him the list. Our conversation was exceptionally rewarding and am deeply saddened to hear of his passing. I was not aware of his ill health as he camouflaged it well but was looking forward to meeting and carrying on our conversation face to face. My condolences to his family and friends and thanks to his vast contribution to our hobby. David

I met David on ebay, of all places, about 12 years ago. He liked to recycle and his handwritten letters were invariably on the back of old printouts on all sorts of subjects. Of course I have all of those letters still, filled as they are with pictures and thoughts about Dinky Toys. We met in Norwich a couple of times - and you would never know there was a toy in the house until the loft ladder descended and then you might wonder how the joists managed the strain of such an almighty collection. There was another shed full of stuff which I didn't have time to see, apparently. While I was living in London, we would meet during most summers at White Webbs and return to the house for tea and a good rummage through my toy boxes. David had a list of interests beyond Dinky - art and books and the Bressingham projects of course. On his calendar, music festivals were a fixture and, if his joy of baroque was not one that I shared, we completely agreed over Beethoven and Bartok. David always seemed to me to be cheerful, generous, enthusiastic, genial and energetic ... someone who found tremendous fun in everything he did and shared that with everyone around him.