Vincent Keith King Verified listing

Vincent was born just over 49 years ago, he was born with Downs Syndrome and other complaints.

Doctors and specialists suggested that he wouldn't walk, communicate or live a particularly full life...... HOWEVER, they forgot to tell Vincent this !!

With a lot of Love, Care and Attention from his Mum and Dad they enabled him to Live Life to the Max.

I was first introduced to Vincent in 1964 having had the amazing good fortune to have been born into his family. I remember little of the event but as the years passed I remember Vincent as being an integral part of the family if not the centre of it.

For us Vincent was a Normal part of our family...….well normal with some eccentricities and a lack of inhibition.

We were the Three Kings or the Three V's and what Vaughan and I did....so did Vince.

As Salvation Army officers Kids we were continually put upon for Army events.....Vincent loved these and would throw himself into them................my earliest recollection is an Over Sixties rally Vince must have been 5 or 6 and the whole family was the subject of a sketch, a lovely family scene with the three boys playing with a tin of toys including a whistle/hooter...…he couldn't help himself...he blew as hard as he could.....and got told off!!

Vincent was an entertainer...…The King boys took part in the talent contests at Bognor Butlins during the Salvation Army week...….with songs from the SA musicals, including MY Mum. We won two years running and Vince stole the show.

Ventriloquism, Vince got a ventriloquist doll one Christmas...…I have no idea what my Mum and Dad were thinking?? Vincent called him 'Charlie' a little ginger haired Scotsman!! During the Christmas house parties at the Hotel in Plymouth he would sit in front of the guests perfecting his act.

It was around this time age 13 or 14 that he started his love of all things ELVIS !!

This was to become the delight of all his friends and the biggest source of embarrassment for his Brothers, for wherever Vincent went...…family visiting, parties, Army events The Elvis Impression was the main event !!

Whatever he did he put every part of his being into it...….Returning back to Butlins he took centre stage at the Gaiety Theatres Youth Night when he was 17/18 singing 'One Life to Live'........there wasn't a dry eye in the house and it summed up Vincent's whole philosophy of Life....... as and when we find the video I'm hoping to youtube it.

Vincent was an amateur DJ !! With Radio, Record Player and Tape Decks he ran a non-broadcast radio station......I think he called himself Keith West !! He broadcast the news which he read from the paper, the Elvis Hour but the most interesting was when he had gone round the hall recording people and asking for requests for his religious program......he recorded the band the songsters and I was reminded recently that he even recorded the 2 minute silence one remembrance day!!

Vincent was a Bandsman.....not just a bandsman but the Principal Drummer in every band he played.....you see he didn't have a drum kit or anything fancy....he owned the Bass Drum. I remember us all starting out in the YP band at Clacton and this is where Vince first picked up those BIG drum sticks. Vincent went on to play in YP bands in Darlington, Canterbury, Plymouth Exeter hall (where he learnt to throw the drum stick at the bandleader if he was criticised!!) Then senior bands at Wealdstone, Gainsborough, Bristol, Nottingham William Booth memorial Halls, Wood Green, Reading Central and finally Reading West Corps. Vincent's crescendo drum roll was an experience not to miss....as ever it was delivered with every ounce of his being and became his drumming signature....a signal from the bandmaster before the final verse of the founders song and Vincent would go into drumming overdrive.

Gainsborough Band were occasionally asked to do recordings for Yorkshire TV and on one occasion during the hot summer of 1984 we were being filmed on location in full uniform....Vincent fainted in the heat and was immediately taken care of by a pretty TV assistant. She mopped his brow, gave him cool drinks and basically gave him some special attention until he was ready to re-join the band.....he fainted on four more occasions that day !!

Vincent and pretty girls were not strangers......during the Butlins week Vince didn't need his brothers !! he had so many friends. He would make his way around the camp picking up one girlfriend after another, they just couldn't resist his bold approach and eloquent charm. This was the only time he wasn't brotherly........he never shared any of them!!

As a brother he was the best........you will rarely see a picture of Vincent on his own..............you see when we were younger we were always together. We played in the bands, we were Scouts together we played and... played tricks together.

Our cricket and football matches required the best wicket keeper and goalkeeper...........Vincent must have thought he was England material the way we built up his goalkeeping skills so Vaughan and I could play outfield !!......................not once did he complain........he just loved us all playing together.

On our camping holidays he was happy to contribute his ice cream money towards buying a kite or something similar......he knew that his Mum and Dad would step in with an extra 50p for an ice cream anyway.

When we visited Grandma and Granddad Vince would be the first one down at breakfast to sit by the kitchen hatch while Grandma kept a steady stream of Beef dripping on toast coming through.......eating was another of Vincent's great pastimes....

The annual King family boxing day dinner would see Vince plating up the second Christmas dinner and whilst the rest of us would need to take a break he would steadily plough through saying this is lovely Mum....then while the rest of us sat back full to the brim Vince would...you guessed it do the Elvis routine.

When we lived in Market Rasen it Was just Vince and I. Having recently passed my driving test we drove the 20 miles to Gainsborough corps 2 or 3 times a week on the A631 not once did he criticise my driving and on the odd occasion we made it from home to hall in under 20 minutes.

As an Uncle, Vincent loved to get visits from his nieces and nephews. When they were growing up Vincent joined in all their games. His favourite card game was WOT and he knew all the best ways to cheat and win!!

To say that Vincent was a Mummies boy would be wrong there was nothing namby pamby about Vince...he loved his mum to bits and would give anything to and for her..... the swapping of Mayfair for Old Kent Road went a bit too far for Mine and Vaughan's liking one boxing day!! .....As for his Dad..... well everything was fine as long as Dad agreed with Mum and if he didn't Vince made it clear whose side he would take....After Vaughan and I left home Vince and his Dad would spend more time in Army activities particularly in the band at William Booth Memorial Halls. Vincent principal cymbalist and Dad.....bottom second cornet!! In choosing music for today the March Victors Acclaimed brought back happy memories of Vincent proudly crashing the cymbals as the WBMH band marched through Nottingham.

So...Vincent

Fantastic Friend

Incredible Uncle

Brilliant Brother

Perfect Son

You...Loved everyone... and ....are Loved by Everyone.

We will miss you