Today was the funeral of my dear friend David Aubrey Cuttill, which took place at Brompton Cemetery [south-west London]. Born in Edgware [north-west London] in July 1931, David grew up in the northern city of Liverpool and was the only child of a rather strict father [a cost clerk] and artistic mother [a domestic help]. The Cuttill household endured financial hardship in the war years, which resulted in a financial insecurity that never left David.
On leaving school, David joined the Royal Air Force [aka RAF] and rose through the ranks, leaving after fifteen years as an officer, with the rank of Squadron Leader. He travelled widely as an Aide-de-Camp [ADC] to his commanding officer [Air Vice Marshal Sir Douglas ‘Zulu’ Morris] and the officer’s mess, his batman, the discipline, and the ceremony of the RAF all became a compass for his subsequent life.
During his time in the RAF, David acquired a tase for ‘nice things’, buying a 20/25 Rolls-Royce motor car – for a “good price”, but quickly sold it because it was a “basket case” – and a traditional river boat, which he named ‘Moomba’.
David used his RAF demob money to buy a mews house where he had been a sitting tenant at number 1 Clareville Street in South Kensington [London, SW7 5AJ] and was pleased that his new address was “number one”. He lived there up until the last year or so of his life and whenever I called him on the telephone, he would answer it with a resounding “FRObisher 3431” [FRObisher had been the name of the London telephone exchange prior to ‘all figures numbers’, known as ‘AFN’].
After leaving the RAF, David completed a certified accountants course at the Harrow Technical College where he met David Burrows. David Burrows owned a music shop called ‘City Music’ and David began working there as the bookkeeper. David Burrows provided the finance for David to start his own business, Viscount Organs, and he began importing electronic organs from Marcello Gallanti, who in 1969, established ‘Intercontinental Electronics SpA’, which sold Viscount branded electronic organs. Over the following years, David got on brilliantly with the Gallanti family [Marcello, Milvia, Mauro, and Loriana] and would occasionally visit their factory in Italy.
David incorporated ‘Viscount Organs Limited’ in January 1976 and it was a very successful company that operated from a small warehouse in Watford. For many years, he would travel daily to Watford from his home in South Kensington and over the years, had some wonderful employees including Mike Beattie, Guy Rose, Charles Braund and of course, his trusted engineer and warehouse man Mike Heathcote. In the latter days, David and Mike Heathcote did everything between them and Mike worked for David right up until the end of Viscount Organs Limited [circa 2009] when David retired. As David always said, “Viscount was a great money spinner for a poor boy from Liverpool”.
David became life-long friends of the Burrows family (David Burrows and his wife Gillian) and the Van Hay family (Geoffrey Van Hay and his with Cheryl, better known as Chicky). Geoffrey – who was known to friends as simply ‘Van’ – owned the famous ‘El Vino Wine Bar’ which was ‘the’ hang-out of journalists in the heyday of Fleet Street and whose customers included Ian Fleming [of James Bond fame] and Nigel Dempster. Van employed David as the bookkeeper at ‘El Vino’ and after Fleet Street moved, Van opened a basement bar [Scribes] near the Daily Mail HQ in Kensington.
The Earls Court pubs, restaurants and cafes were an early foundation of David’s social life and was where he found life-long friendships in Jonathon Gunnet, Donald Cameron, et al. David delighted in mixing and associating with the glitter of the Burrows’ Rolls-Royce motor car brigade, the Van Hay’s country party crown, GQ magazine staff, Harrods employees, the Reform Club patrons, and his friends who had yachts on the River Thames close to David’s boat. Closer to home, David formed enduring friendships with his neighbour, Mary Richardson, and Clareville Street neighbours who included Timothy Faulkner and his mother Ann who always looked out for David.
Viscount Organs was the routine of David’s life and as mentioned, he made the round-trip drive from Kensington to Watford in his lovely Mercedes-Benz motor car on a daily basis. Viscount was also another area of his life where he made life-long friendships. As well as myself and the Galanti family [Marcello, his son Mauro and his daughter Loriana] he also had a close friendship with Wensleigh Palmer, the former owner of ‘Music Unlimited’ in Exeter.
As well as Viscount, David was also involved in the ‘Adastra label marketing’ and ‘Esquel accessories marketing’ businesses with John Andrews. After a lovely early supper at The Anglesea Arms – one of the original London ‘gastropubs’ – David and I would often sit on his roof terrace in Kensington (drinking totally flat Leomonade) and talk for hours about what he would do with Viscount UK long-term, how Viscount Italy, Adastra, and Esquel were doing; and how the businesses I was involved with (Promenade Music, Faith & Hope Records, Monstermob, Safra Banking, etc) were all doing….. these were such happy times.
When David sold Viscount Organs Limited – an event that he dreaded and put off for many years – he managed to find a new routine as a volunteer for the Red Cross Charity Shop at 69-71 Old Church Street in Chelsea. He always proclaimed that he was working in “the most expensive charity shop in the World” because people would take in designer clothes that were often unworn. David loved the idea of getting stock for nothing and selling it for eye-watering amounts. He also loved its household name customers and would often tell me about his chats with Bob Geldof and alike.
David loved his local community around Kensington. In 2008 he became a trustee of the Earl’s Court Community Trust (which supports arts and performing arts activities); and his passion for the stately home Bentley Priory [the Stanmore headquarters of Fighter Command during the Second World War] led him to becoming a trustee of The Bentley Priory Battle of Britain Trust in March 2013 after the estate was purchased by developers in 2011 who hoped to develop the site into luxury housing. David joined the appeal to turn Bentley Priory into a museum – commemorating its role in the Battle of Britain, and The Bentley Prior Museum was formally opened by Prince Charles in September 2013.
David was a creature of the cafe society and delighted to make new contacts; preferably new contacts who had a bit of glitter and institutional glamour. David and my family had a wonderful night at the Royal Albert Hall in the mid-late 2,000’s when my daughter Jess was playing at the school proms. David was in his element as we had a box for the event.
After his health gave out and dementia had set-in, David spent much of 2021/22 in care homes in Battersea and Wandsworth; and although he was comfortable and well looked after, he never settled. Elderly companions and institutional life was a head on collision with his cafe society instinct. David died peacefully on Monday the 14th of November, 2022 at the Signature Nursing Home in Wandsworth, aged 92. He left his estate to charities including: The RAF Benevolent Fund; King Edward VII hospital; and for the funding of an organ scholarship which we spent many hours discussing.
R.I.P. David
Written by David Wood on the 12th of December, 2022
[David Wood can be contacted on 01524 410202]