Villagers in Abbotskerswell gathered to commemorate the life of a much-loved member of the community John Brench who died recently aged 92.

In a simple ceremony a Mirabelle plum tree was planted in the village orchard by his brother Brian and his wife Sue.

Afterwards they gathered by the hardwood bench in Wilton Way that has been purchased by Abbotskerswell Twinning Association with funds donated from John’s family and friends in the UK and France.

John was born and grew up in Windsor but fell in love with Devon when he came to help out on a farm in Widecombe which was short of workers because they were doing National Service.

John then then did his own National Service in Topsham but contracted scarlet fever. So, instead of going to sea he completed his National Service in the Military Hospital in Aldershot.

When he completed this he returned to Windsor and joined the GPO which later evolved into British Telecom, for whom he worked for the rest of his working life. 

On his retirement he and his second wife Alice decided to move back to Devon.

The priority was first to find a golf club where they could play and then to find a place to live. They chose Stover Golf Club and settled in Abbotskerswell where John lived for more than 30 years.

He continued to play golf until he was 90 and became heavily involved in village life.

He had a love of gardening and won prizes at the Village Show for his entries.

He bought a lathe, took a few lessons and became skilled at woodturning, making gifts for others as well as teaching others the skills.

He also volunteered to do some handyman jobs around the village so not surprisingly when a village Repair Shop was formed he was a keen supporter.

When Abbotskerswell Twinning Association began in the early 1990s he gave it his whole-hearted support and served for a time on the committee.

He was also a regular visitor to France with the group and acted as a host for our French visitors who warmed to his hospitality and developed close friendships over the years.

He loved his food and wine so would rarely miss a chance to join in the association’s dinner evenings.

He also loved the themed evenings when he would go to great lengths to turn up in appropriate fancy dress, be it as a poacher, a Scottish golfer, a cowboy or even cross-dressing!

John was a larger-than-life character who had unswerving energy and enthusiasm for life. He had a great sense of humour and was a joy to be around.

He supported and served the village community in such a positive way that he will be sorely missed.

However, the bench and tree will mean that his memory will live on.