LoginObituary - David Burleigh FCTSI 1933 to 2026
David was born in Cambridge and began his career in local government in the county land agent’s department. After a two-year break for national service in the RAF, he sampled different departments in local government before entering the Weights and Measures Service in Worcestershire in 1958
Remembering David Burleigh
This from Paul Allen OBE, FCTSI a colleague and friend.
David was 93 when he passed away, he and I first met as Trainees in the Buckinghamshire Weights and Measures Department in Aylesbury in 1962/3. Bucks had a wonderful training system, with 2-hour lectures twice a week, which attracted technical assistants from all over the UK. The other attraction was that they paid a scale which I think in those days was around £750 p.a. This was as much as the starting salary for basic W&M Inspectors!!
We both qualified quickly. David went to Berkshire and I went to the East Riding of Yorkshire in 1964.
The next time we met was in 1976 when I became Chief TSO for East Sussex CC. David was already there as a Divisional Inspector. When my then Deputy, Ron Beal, retired in 1978, David became my Assistant CTSO alongside Gordon Beresford, the former Chief Inspector of Weights & Measures for Hastings BC. In effect, they were my joint Deputies. David quickly demonstrated an aptitude and skill for prosecutions and Gordon for finance and administration. This allowed me more time to be involved with Institute affairs, including two Conferences in Eastbourne and Brighton.
I cannot speak too highly of David for carrying the special burden of prosecutor in chief for the Department and the County Council. Having looked back over some of my Annual Reports, I see that David was responsible for between 50 and 70 prosecutions each year, almost all of which were successful. David and I had an extremely good working relationship, and I was always impressed with his meticulous attention to detail and his excellent relationship with his W&M/TSO departmental colleagues.
Other colleagues have added - David involved himself in branch affairs for the institute since 1971. He was appointed as the first Education Officer or the southeastern branch in that year and held the post of branch secretary from 1971 to 1977 during which time attendance at branch meetings rose from 40% of the membership to twice that number There is nothing glamorous about the position of a branch secretary but it is one of those seemingly mundane jobs that require a great deal of dedicated hard work and properly done it’s vital to the wellbeing of the institute. David was made vice chairman of his branch in 1981 and the Chairman of the following year. He has contributed articles to the Monthly Review and given papers to his branch. Uniformity within the profession being one of the principles which he has always staunchly put forward.
Conference gravitated more frequently to East Sussex in David’s time more than any other county and David was actively involved as an assistant to the conference director Two of those events being at Eastbourne in 1974 and 1983 and the Brighton Conference in 1979
David was a dedicated man both through his work and to his family. He once said that he owed his wife Pamela a tremendous amount for the encouragement and support she gave him in his pursuit of various institute activities.
Paul Allen attended David's funeral on 7th August at the Eastbourne. Crematorium. Over 50 relatives and friends were there and two of his sons, Phil and Mark, jointly read a moving Poem in tribute. I represented the Institute and the College of Fellows. After the Service, a celebration lunch was held at the Hydro Hotel in Eastbourne. One of his son's, Phil, showed a series of slides in celebration of David's family life. I was then invited to say a few words about his professional life. I concluded by telling his family and friends that David had been a credit to his profession and in recognition the Trading Standards Institute awarded him a Fellowship in 1988.
David’s son Mark has added these words - Following Dad’s passing, I read through a number of the letters of goodwill Dad had kept from when he retired, and I was so proud that his staff had felt so well supported, nurtured, mentored and managed. There were also letters from the external public agencies, such as Magistrates, Police, Fire service who were full of praise for his achievements and the quality working arrangements they had with him. A gentleman at the service, who worked in another local government department at the time, told me that a close friend and colleague attributed his own change in direction to join the TSO, down to my dad. His encouragement, supportive management style, sense of purpose and belief in Trading Standards convinced him to join the body and he went on to have a successful career himself. It is evident to me, that Dad was passionate about TS and he worked extremely hard to achieve the best outcomes for the team and the greater good of TS.
We in the TS Service and the Institute Fellows and others offer our sincere condolences to David’s family and friends who will all remember and miss a well-liked and professional Trading Standards Officer.
