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“It was the first concert he had given since the fateful car crash I photographed in Chippenham, which had killed Eddie Cochran and badly injured him.

“To be honest I wasn’t a great fan, but it turned out my future wife was.

“Because of his injuries he was taking a great deal of painkillers and came on late.

“While we were waiting, I spotted this attractive blonde with blue eyes and asked her if she wanted to be photographed with Gene Vincent.

“She jumped at the chance and after we had taken the pictures she asked if she could have a print. I said, ‘if you are here next week then yes’.”

Brian was also to become on first name terms with members of the Royal family.

The Queen Mother was a regular visitor to her sister at Spye Park, near Chippenham.

“One day her driver came up to me and said she saw me so often she felt she ought to know my name.

“The next time I saw her, at Bromham near Devizes for a church service, she asked how I was and if I wanted to take her picture.

“She then turned to a group of kids and said: ‘Gather round children, Brian would like to take our picture’.”

As well as photographing many members of the Royal family, Brian was the first person in the world to get a picture of Mick Jagger and his then unknown girlfriend and later future wife, Bianca.

The 1960s were, in Brian’s words, ‘fantastic times’. Although he was being constantly approached by the nationals for work, he felt he was at the cutting edge of the new style of news photography here in Bath.

“All the film companies would approach me with their new films and I was able to explore my passion for available light in photographs.”

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