Councillor and former Mayor of the London Borough of Harrow.
Albert Keith Toms was born on 1 April 1940 in Cwmbran, Monmouthshire, Wales, the son of Albert E. Toms (b.circa 1904) and Amy Winifred Toms née Honess (1904-1965). His birth was registered in the 2nd quarter of 1940 in the Caerleon Registration District, Monmouthshire.
From his obituary in the we learn that that he died, aged 82 years, on 6 April 2022 and his obituary in gives more information about this man including that he won a scholarship to Abersychan grammar school. He trained as a teacher at Newland Park College in Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire and met Naomi Elizabeth Pitt, also a trainee teacher. They married in the 3rd quarter of 1961 in the Hampstead Registration District, London and electoral registers in 1963 show them both listed at 409 The Highway, Shadwell, Stepney, London. He taught history at Shoreditch comprehensive and then at Queen’s school in Bushey, Hertfordshire. Later he studied at Reading and Brunel universities to be a school counsellor.
They had three children: Gareth Dafydd Pitt (b.1963); Daniel Leon Pitt (b.1966) and Adam Che Pitt (b.1968).
After his election in 1974, he devoted his time to being a Labour councillor in Harrow, involving himself in many campaigns to protect public services. One was a protest and occupation against the threatened closure of Northwood and Pinner district hospital in 1983. The campaign was successful and the hospital remained open for another 25 years.
He served as a councillor until 2006 (when he was made an honorary alderman in Harrow), including as deputy leader from 1998 to 2002. He received the freedom of the borough in 2020.
Telephone directories listed him as Toms, A.K., at 3 Lancaster Road, Harrow, HA2 7NN from 1970 and he was still there on electoral registers from 2003 to 2006. From 2007 the registers list him at 33 Fernbank Drive, Harrow, HA2 7EE.
He used the name Keith Toms through much of his life and the shows him as such when he was appointed as a director of Welldon Activity Group on 2 May 2006.
He is shown as 'The Mayor of Harrow, Councillor Keith Toms' on the Harrow rail crash memorial plaque attached to the Harrow Civic Centre Library, Station Road, Harrow, HA1 2XY.
Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesoflondon.co.uk and Andrew Behan.
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