Memories of Brother Nicholas Higgins C.Ss.R

by Fr. Beverley Ahearn C.Ss.R

Transcription of recording.

Brother Nicholas Higgings, he died a member of the Hawkstone community in 1952. He died in hospital at Cheam.

Brother Nicholas was born in Ireland and grew up in Dublin and long before independence he became a policeman a member of the Royal Irish Constabulary. And his claim to fame is, he is said to have cautioned Matt Talbot for being a nuisance and threatening if he didn’t move on and behave himself he would arrest him. Matt Talbot later of course was the founder of the pioneer movement. And for a long time before his death Brother Nicholas was sacristan at Hawkstone, and once a year he used take a walk up the drive it was his only time of going out once a year in his big boots. I am sure his boots were left over from his policeman days. He would walk up the drive to Marchamley where there was a cobbler who had a little shed outside his back door he’d go in there take his boots off have them resoled. He’d pay him, and then go back to Hawkstone. That is the memory of Brother Nicholas.