John Birks death


October 18, 2022

We are deeply saddened to learn of the death of our former athlete and member John Birks, 89, on 9th October at the Royal Sussex County Hospital.

John, known as Johnny or JB, was a member of the club for many years competing from the 1950s to the 1970s, and it was a source of huge pride and enjoyment for him to have taken part in cross-country and marathon competitions all over the country whilst training with Brighton and Hove AC.

Teammate Alan Buchanan said, “JB preferred road running before it came so popular and did well considering he had only one lung. He tried his hand at race walking for several years but didn’t always satisfy the judges!

“He and Dave Boxall were the characters when I joined Brighton AC in 1962 and JB still competed in Brighton and Hove colours till the late ’70s.”

We send our condolences to John’s family and friends.

The funeral date has not been confirmed, but we will share details when finalised.

RIP John ‘JB’ Birks 26.5.33 – 09.10.22 💔