David Brooks (Murray 2000-2002)

Our great friend, David Brooks, succumbed to illness on 7 December 2025. He will be missed by all of us.

We first met Brooksy in September 2000 when he joined the Sixth Form. Despite our group already being close, he quickly became one of us. It is almost impossible to imagine a time when he wasn’t our friend.

Brooksy brought a fresh perspective to our lives, unbothered and often bewildered by the quirks of public-school life. He even worked weekends at Wickes (a concept that completely astounded us at the time); it was a job that sometimes led to humorous consequences—like the infamous day he showed up on a Saturday after a work social, hungover, head in a bin during a politics class, much to his teacher’s dismay, and his fellow classmates’ hysteria.  

Politics was to remain one of his passions for life and he was a devoted Liberal Democrat (his membership first started at school) and he loved to debate and discuss the political issues of the moment. He was also a committed Francophile and could speak French fluently; if there was a hint of any ‘Frenchness’ in someone Brooksy would start up a conversation regardless of who they were.

He also had this obsession with being Welsh that none of us quite understood but his commitment to the land of his fathers was unparalleled. After Mill Hill he went to Cardiff University. He returned to London after his studies and started a career in finance working for Bloomberg before moving on to Mirabaud.

Brooksy was always fun to be around. He just made people laugh and feel better about themselves. During lockdown Zoom quizzes, when we could not be together, he achieved this. His piano music round stood out, every tune sounded the same, and it was impossible to guess what he was doing. Still, he just kept staring into the camera making his familiar cheeky suggestive looks, expecting us to… “just get it guys”.  It was both hysterical and unnerving and he wasn’t even trying to be funny. It was just him and his uncomplicated approach to life. He was just enjoying himself.

His life was not without difficulties and in November 2022 he was diagnosed with cancer from which he was able to recover.

The greatest pride in his life was his family—his wife, Bahriye, who he had an unshakable bond built on trust, love, and mutual respect, and their beautiful daughters, Defne and Alara. He was a devoted husband and father who brought boundless love, energy and joy to his home.

When we think of Brooksy, we just have happy memories. He lived with an infectious joie de vivre, throwing himself into life wholeheartedly. Those of us that knew him cannot recall a time where we were not better for his presence. Though it’s painful to know we can’t make more memories with him, his enormous spirit will forever shine bright in our hearts and minds. We miss him terribly and stand by his family always.

Tal Geron, Martin Hirsch, James Hutcheson, Paul Mason and Mark Stein