New Milton Advertiser 8th Jan 2021

Friday 8th January 2021 · 13

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Obituaries

LeighWebb ‘Wonderful character’ owned Lymington chicken factoryWebb’s Country Foods

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In all this time, Donald and Stella dreamed of returning to the New Forest, and bought a former police house in Totton as a stepping stone to their dream of retiring to Lymington or Milford. Donald’s career was cut short when he needed two hip replacements, forcing early re - tirement. Tragically, Stella became ill with multiple sclerosis and then cancer before she died in 1987 leaving Donald a widower at the age of 54. He filled some of his time pay - ing bowls and watching rugby. He became an avid rugby fan, travelling to watch Bath home and away. It was while playing bowls he met Ann Clarkson, a wid - ow, and they were able to enjoy some wonderful sunset years and happy times together, in - cluding a new-found love for cruises, which took them to many exotic locations until ill health finally curtailed their ad - ventures. Donald died at Hamble Heights Nursing Home and leaves two sons, Andrew and Steven who was also a police sergeant in Southampton. various yacht and sailing clubs in England and New Zealand. While Leigh was well known for his links with Webb’s and sailing clubs, his charitable work was kept very much under the radar. Trish Bates, who knew the couple for many years, said he gave generously to many local charities and Beaulieu Abbey Church, Solent Dolphin, the Jubilee Sailing Trust, Hamp - shire and the Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, and the Honeypot Children’s Charity in Blackfield, being a few of them. He never wanted anyone to know about this. Neville Caffyn, a former direc - tor of Webb’s, said Leigh was a “hard business man but always a fair one”. He added: “We worked to - gether for 30 years and he was always very kind to me. When I retired he and Carol both gave generously to Shepherds Down School in Compton near Win - chester.” Leigh and Carol moved from the Tukal first to Sway for 13 years and then in March last year to Bishopstoke retirement village near Eastleigh. They have eight grandchil - dren and one great-grand - daughter.

FARMER Roy Hunt, who was a popular figure at the New For - est Show where he organised the pig section of the local food and farming display, has died at the age of 80. Well known for running Tatchbury Manor Farm and the farm shop in Winsor, Copy - thorne, with his wife Sarah, Roy received many awards for his free range pork, including the Hampshire Food and Drink Producer of the Year in 2006. Born at the Fenwick Hospital in Lyndhurst in January 1940, Roy grew up in a farming family, spending his early childhood at Kent’s Farm in Winsor, before his parents moved to Tatch - bury Manor Farm. After attending Bartley School, Roy followed his moth - er’s advice to learn a trade, and became a master cabinet-mak - er fitting mahogany labs in schools across the country. He later worked for a local building company and then as a refrigeration installer, before becoming a senior cellar man for IndCoope Brewery, under - taking repairs in pubs across Hampshire. Roy was always involved in helping out at the family farm, however, returning for harvest and haymaking, and milking the dairy herd. When Roy’s father developed angina, he and his younger sis - ter Julia became more involved in running the 40-acre farm. Roy also undertook haymak - ing and animal transportation for many of the other smaller farming enterprises across the district. He supported the New For - est Marque and Forest Friendly Farming from the very begin - ning. He loved being involved with the New Forest Show where he was well known for taking a sow and litter of piglets every year to exhibit in the local food and farming area where he spent hours talking to the public. One of his greatest memories was meeting the Queen and Prince Philip during their visit to the three-day event in 2012. Roy was also known for cater - ing events with his hog roasts. On one occasion, he and the family fed more than 1,000 peo - ple with a hog roast in Salisbury market to celebrate its reopen - ing at the end of the 2001 foot FORMER New Forest police of - ficer Donald King, who received a British Empire Medal for his gallantry in saving the lives of three teenaged boys, has died at the age of 87. It was during his first post - ing as an officer, to New Milton, that he was involved in a dra - matic rescue at Milford in 1959. Donald and his colleague PC Ivor Handley were cycling along the cliffs when they spotted a small boat in difficulties al - most a mile off the coast. They stripped off and swam towards the yacht which had over - turned. PC Handley returned to shore with one boy while Don - ald, a strong swimmer who had played water polo at county lev - el, continued out to the dinghy to find two teenagers clinging to the hull. Using a petrol can as a make - shift buoyancy aid for one of the frightened boys Donald held on to the other and remained with them until an RAF rescue hel - icopter eventually arrived to winch them all to safety. Both Donald and Ivor were decorated for their bravery, with Donald receiving the BEM for gallantry. In later years he THE former owner of Webb’s Country Foods chicken pro - cessing factory in Lymington, Leigh Webb, died age 82 on Christmas Eve. The father-of-three lived for 18 years in a large house, called Tukal, situated on the Beaulieu River. Leigh took over Webb and Webb Poultry from his father Percy and uncle Charles. The business was then at Winnall Farm in Winchester, and Leigh went on to expand it hugely, buying up several sites and many chicken farms around the south of England, including the Bridge Road site in Lymington. At one time it was the town’s largest employer, supplying Marks and Spencer, Waitrose, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and other large food stores. Leigh sold the business (by then called Webbs Country Foods) through a management buyout funded by the venture capital firm 3I’s at the end of December 1997. Leigh was born in Winchester on 30th June 1938 and attended Nethercliff Preparatory School before going on to boarding school in Truro. After this he studied chemi - cal engineering at Bristol Uni -

back to Christchurch as a ser - geant until in 1972 he was giv - en the opportunity of further promotion to inspector and secondment to Scotland Yard’s C9 section. Returning to Hampshire af - ter two years saw postings in - itially to Aldershot and then to the Isle of Wight, where he was detective chief inspector in charge of the Island’s CID. With three prisons on his patch, Donald was never short of interesting cases and en - counters with some of Britain’s most notorious gangsters, some of whom he had met previously in London. A return to Aldershot and promotion to superintendent saw him form close friendships with the military community and a number of senior army officers. This led him to join an exer - cise with the parachute regi - ment leaping from a C5 Hercu - les at 600ft into the icy waters of Weymouth Bay. Donald then moved to Win - chester and returned to uni - form as a chief superintendent at HQ, and then a final move as divisional commander of a swathe of southern Hampshire. versity and went on to work for Distillers Co. and then Esso Fawley, before taking on the very small family business. “The children of both our families went to the same school,” remembered Carol, Leigh’s wife. “Our fathers had shops oppo - site each other during the war. Leigh’s family had a butcher’s and my father had a chem - ist and opticians on Andover Road.” Leigh and Carol married in April 1962 and after living in Kent moved to Shawford near Winchester to be near their families and the business. They stayed there for 20 years, very happily when the children were young. Carol added: “Everyone who knew him would say what a wonderful character he was, al - ways making jokes and teasing the ladies who loved it. He was a loving, family man. “We have been extremely lucky to have travelled exten - sively since Leigh sold out, and have made friends all over the world.” Leigh and Carol enjoyed boating, even managing to get out around the Solent during the past year between lock - downs. They were members of

Wick Antiques was founded by Charles Wallrock 32 years ago. Having previously supplied Harrods antiques department for 22 years, he offers his expertise and professional knowledge to help you buy and sell your antiques.

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Donald King Former New Forest police officer received BEM for saving lives of teen sailors

recalled his biggest fear was be - ing late for dinner and ruining his uniform. Donald’s origins were in Worksop, where he was born, and he went on to be educated at King Edward VI Grammar School at Retford. He had considered signing on to be a military policeman but instead undertook national service with the RAF based at Scampton where he met Stella Drew, a young WAAF from Lym - ington. They were married in 1954, and Stella left the RAF to be - come a home-maker and moth - er. When Donald was sent to Egypt during the Suez crisis, Stella returned to Lymington to have their first child and await her husband’s return. Donald soon fell in love with the New Forest, and left the RAF in 1957 to join Hampshire Constabulary with his first posting in New Milton. He enjoyed golf at Barton and eventually played to a sin - gle-figure handicap. He also represented various police teams at cricket and football. Promotions and a transfer to CID took him to Andover then

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Roy Hunt Well-known farmer regularly brought piglets to the New Forest Show

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and mouth epidemic. He also helped running the pig auctions at Salisbury Market. He met his wife Sarah 13 years ago and together the cou - ple developed Tatchbury Manor Farm shop into a thriving local business, selling free range pork from the farm and other locally reared meat and produce. Sarah’s love of baking also saw them expand their range of pies and savouries which they also sold at Hampshire Farm - ers’ Markets stalls and supplied to other local food businesses. They won many awards and prizes for their home-reared pork products. Sarah said: “Roy was very so - ciable and popular – he loved chatting to the many custom - ers and appeared on [TV show] James Martin: Home Com - forts.”

He was very proud of his niec - es Karen Jayne and Marie and had a special bond with two of his great-nieces Sophie and Lucy, who have both gone on to pursue careers in agriculture. Roy developed cancer around four years ago and received care from Southampton Gener - al Hospital, Oakhaven Hospice and the district nursing team, who supported Sarah so he could remain at home until his death. The couple held a num - ber of events to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Care. Roy’s funeral has taken place and Sarah and the family plan to hold a fundraising event for Oakhaven Hospice in his mem - ory when restrictions ease. Do - nations in Roy’s memory can go to RABI (Royal Agricultur - al Benevolent Institution) or Oakhaven Hospice.

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