Paul joined Strand Electric in the late 1930s and was involved with product development and as a support engineer. He worked closely with Fred Bentham.
Obituary
From ETNow.com, 4 March 2004
Two, probably three, generations of theatre and television lighting technicians will be saddened to learn of the death of Paul Weston at the age of 84.
Within Strand Electric, which he joined prior to World War II, he was always known as young Paul, not just because he always ran up the numerous stairs in Floral and King Street, Covent Garden, but because he remained young at heart and was the most generous provider of practical, down to earth advice and help to anybody and everyone with a technical problem.
As Francis Reid said recently, you could always ask Paul a question and get a straight reply which disregarded any of the hype, whether it be from Frederick Bentham, or in later years from Rank Strand. Perhaps this was because even before he joined Strand, in a totally different era, he had worked servicing the electric motors that provided the motive power for the rag-trade in the East End of London and where he was subject to pressure from the owners to speed up the shafting.
Some of his lesser-known attributes was that he was one of the first Advanced Motorists and a brilliant colour photographer of virtually all of the Strand 35mm colour slides. Even in retirement he kept his hand in repairing talking books for the blind, sorting and cataloguing for the Theatre Museum the thousands of slides he had taken.
Also for the Theatre Museum he rebuilt the Grandmaster from the Wyndham’s Theatre, and was a valued member of the ABTT Archaeology Committee where he had first-hand knowledge of long gone technology.
Paul leaves a widow, Dinky, whom he met within Strand Electric.
Brian Legge
The funeral of Paul Weston will be on Tuesday 9th March 9th 2004 at 11.20am at The West Hertfordshire Crematorium, High Elms Lane, Garston (off the A.405). It will be a humanist funeral.
Any floral tributes should be sent to Nethercott Funeral Directors, 150 Darkg Lane, Potters Bar EN6 1AF to arrive before 10am, or donations to Cancer Research.
A local (Potters Bar) friend called “Les” has made all the funeral arrangements for Dinky, Paul’s widow.
(4 March 2004)