David William Astley Birtwistle; 
Born 14 May 1926, Lancashire England
Died 14 January 1998, London
Son of James Astley Birtwistle 1889-1974 & Muriel Marwood 1893-1988
Brother of Mary, Iris, Michael, Annette, Edmund, Antony, & Angela 


Obituary from The Ampleforth Journal 1998? . Old Amplefordian News.
p 67-69)

David W A Birtwistle 
David William Astley Birtwistle; born 14 May 1926; 
Gilling Castle; Junior House 1938-40; St Edwards House September
1940-July 1943; Royal horse Guards; textile and film industry, the
Ampleforth Popalar Settlement; civil servant; voluntary worker with
Alcoholics Anonymous; died 14 January 1998

David Birtwistle was a notable worker with Alcoholics Anonymous and,
in earlier years a Youth Leader with the Ampleforth Poplar Settlement.
A kind, sensitive, brave and generous person who suffered much, he
achieved much. 

David was the sixth of the eight children of James
Astley Birtwistle and Muriel Birtwistle of Houghton House, Lancashire.
At Ampleforth he began his enduring interest in music, literature and
painting which soon developed into lifelong passions. He became an
accomplished pianist and a gifted painter and his paintings are to be
found in many private collections all over the world. On leaving Ample
forth in 1943 he went straight to the Brigade Squad at Pirbright and
then to Sandhurst, from where he was commissioned in the Royal Horse
Guards; he saw war service in Belgium and Germany, and a visit to
Belsen shortly after it was liberated had a profound effect on him.
After the war he worked for the family textile business in Lancashire,
and in the 1950s moved to London to work in a film company, Van Dyke
Films-they produced films with Dennis Price and others. Always deeply
spiritual, it was at about this time that he tried his vocation to the
contemplative life, being a novice at the monasteries of Caldey Island
in South Wales and later at Quarr in the Isle of White. After working
for about two years in the late 1950s as a Youth Leader of the Holy
Child Settlement in Poplar (see below), he joined the civil service,
working for nearly 30 years in the Department of Employment in London,
retiring with ill health in the late 1980s. Over the last twenty years
of his life he became an effective worker with Alcoholics Anonymous
(see below). David's gift for friendship and his generosity will long
be remembered, along with his wonderful cooking, his recent passion
for gardening, his humour and above all his kindness.

As a Youth Leader of the Holy Child Settlement in Poplar in the late
1950s, he had much success, working often long into the night. The
Holy Child settlement was originally set up by Old Girls of Holy Child
schools, after being bombed in the war, had been rebuilt at the
instigation of Monica Girouard (the mother of Fr Simon Trafford); she
the approached Fr James Forbes, asking for involvement of
Amplefordians, and over a period of years Amplefordians who were
involved included Rory Chisholm (C29), Benard Henderson (E24), Terence
Marke (E42), Peter Noble Matthews (E42), Pat Stewart (E39), Arthur
French (O51) and David himself.

It was perhaps with Alcoholics Anonymous that he did his most
wonderful work. Coming to this work through his own struggles, he
spent the last twenty years of his live with Alcoholics Anonymous .
His sister Angela Kirby writes of this period: 'Despite his many
talents and tremendous sense of humour, David fought a desperate
battle with alcohol from his army days until the early seventies,
when, having joined AA, he entered what was to be the happiest and
most rewarding period of his life within the warmth of that
fellowship. Being exceptionally sensitive, and knowing so well the
pain and difficulties that alcoholism bring he was able to help many
others in their early struggles towards sobriety. It became very
difficult to get hold of David on the telephone which was constantly
engaged as, despite his many health problems and the almost constant
pain he suffered so bravely, he continued to help a wide circle of
friends right up to the day of his death.' Angela Kirby noted how he
saved many lives, marriages, many children and many jobs-as seen by
the enormous turn-out at his funeral.

Stretching over 115 years from August 1883 to 1998, David Birtwistle
came from a family of five generations of Amplefordians- Marwoods,
Birtwistles, Pritchards, Maclarens, Kirbys and Sandys. The first of
these five generations is represented by Tom Marwood (born 1873,
arrived Ampleforth 22 August 1883- OA) David's great uncle. Tom
Marwood's half brother, Frederik Marwood of Pleasington Lodge in
Lancashire (married Mary Walker), not himself an Amplefordian, has 14
direct descendents who are Amplefordians.The second of these five
generations is represented by the children of Frederick ans Mary
Matwood; of their eight children , the four son's, David's uncles, all
came to Ampleforth; Basil (OA 1901), Cyril (OA 1902), Reginald (AO
1907, later Fr Stephen Marwood), and Gilbert (OA 1909). A sister of
these four brothers, Muriel married James Astley Birtwistle (always
known by both first names), and they were to be parents, grandparents
and great grand parents of more generations of Amplefordians. The
third of these five generations involves children of Muriel and James
Astley Birtwistle; of the eight children the four sons were at
Ampleforth - Michael (W38, who was at Dunkirk and later High Sheriff
of Lancashire), Edmund (W42 died in 1970s), David himself and Anthony
(E46). The fourth generation, the nephews of David, consists of
Michael Pritchard (T72, the second son of Mary, David's eldest
sister);  Mark Birtwistle(W70) and Jeremy Birtwistle (W72) (sons of
Michael (W38) and also the nephews of David Craig (OA45, killed while
at Ampleforth on a cycle on Gormie Day)); Hugo Kirby (E71) and Marcus
Kirby (E75) (the sons of Angela, David's younger sister). In the fifth
of these five generations are the great nephews of David- Edward and
George Sandys (arrived at St Hugh's house 1997 and 1998 respectively,
the grandsons of Edmund Birtwistle (W42) and sons of Camilla and Myles
Sandys). Other Ampleforth connections are David's brother Anthony
(E46) and sister Annette both married Ampleforth families - Anthony's
wife Diana was the daughter of Charles Barnwall (Lord Trimlestown, E45
- died 1997) and Raymond (E48); Annette married Ian Maclaren (OA 32
died 1997), the brother of Peter Maclaren (OA36, died 1996) and David
Maclaren (OA39).

(The Ampleforth Journal 1998? . Old Amplefordian News.   p 67-69)