Avicultural Magazine


THE JOURNAL OF THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY



Vol. 113 - No. 3 All rights reserved ISSN 0005 2256 2007



RUTH MURIEL SAWYER (nee EZRA)


Who died on August 21st 2007, aged 88 years

A EULOGY


St Andrews Church, Cobham, Surrey

Thursday August 30th 2007


When Raymond asked if I would say a few words on behalf of Ruth I

accepted with enthusiasm; for I knew it would be an opportunity to discover

far more than I already knew about this wonderful lady; I must say however

that I agreed with some trepidation having only known Ruth since 1992 after

joining Raphael Zorn, the firm of City stockbrokers originally established

by her grandmother’s family, the Raphaels, in 1787.


Ruth was bom on June 13th 1919, the eldest daughter of Muriel (nee

Sassoon) and Alfred Ezra. Ruth and her younger sister Aline grew up at

Foxwarren Park, the family’s large mansion near Cobham, Surrey. Alfred

was a highly respected man whose occupation was noted on his passport

as simply “Gentleman”, whilst Muriel, some 30 years Alfred’s junior was

a prominent society figure. Alfred was awarded an OBE after the war for

services during the war, but was best known and devoted much of his life to

his collection of animals and especially birds. He was an aviculturist of world

renown and President of the Avicultural Society (the oldest of the avicultural

societies) - a post which Ruth also retained until she died. Aviculture, for

those who like me missed it at school, is defined in the Oxford Dictionary

as the rearing of birds, or bird fancying; a rather mundane description I feel

for what is really involved.


Ruth’s upbringing was very much that of an upper class English family

of the time, and from an early age she demonstrated real ability in music -

particularly the piano, and in tennis. Regular visits were made every Tuesday

for piano lessons with Mr Steinway and she continued playing all her life;

I never had the privilege of hearing her but I am told by those who did that

she played especially beautifully. There were also frequent visits to recitals

and concerts, and of course the opera. Tennis lessons at the Hurlingham



