REG SMITH

Reg was born in West Coker in 1911 and with the exception of his wartime service in the RAF during the Second World War, he lived in the village and later on Coker Hill until his death last month.
He attended West Coker School and aged 14 he had his first job at Moffats, a Yeovil general store, later he was employed as a driver's mate with Russian Oil Products delivering petrol to villages in the area and subsequently served an apprenticeship with the Seaton Petter Car Company at the Nautilus Works in Yeovil.
Following the company's demise he started the East Street Garage with his brother George but in 1933 he decided on a different career and became an agent for the Pearl Assurance Company where he remained until retiring in 1971.
Many villagers will remember Reg for his interest in local affairs - he became Clerk to the Parish Council in 1950 and fifteen years later became an elected member of the Parish Council and then a Councillor for the West Coker ward on the Yeovil Rural District Council until 1979.  During this period he was instrumental in the re-location of the Golden Jubilee Fountain from The Square to its present position beside the Church lych gate.
Reg loved West Coker and devoted much of his time to its affairs. Our thoughts are with his family.

Many of you will remember how thrilled Alan and I were when we realised we had won the Helicopter Flight donated by Mr Berkley with our lucky number ticket at the Charity Big Breakfast organised by Mick Collins at 'Skittles' back in March
On the 3rd July we were collected and driven to Sparkford where we met the pilot and the rest of the passengers.  Soon we were skimming across the hedgerows of Somerset and then climbing steadily, looking down upon the patchwork quilt of the English countryside.  It was sunny but slightly hazy as we flew across Longleat and soon espied the flight of locks near Devizes.  Skirting Swindon we were soon soaring over Oxford where I grew up.  Alan pointed out the new football stadium, I saw my old school and I could have dropped a pin right on top of the Radcliffe Camera!  It was absolutely fabulous!  We then flew in a north easterly direction towards Skegness, our first destination.  The flatness of this part of the country was amazing, it really was a little Holland with windmills, dykes and canals.
As we started our descent we became aware of the long ribbon of beach fringed by thousands, and I mean thousands, of caravans.  Skegness developed as a holiday resort for miners from the midlands and the north and is not beautiful but it had fresh air, peace and quiet and sunshine!  We were there for just over an hour before we flew south to Essex.
The flight was again fascinating as we flew across Ely and then Newmarket.  Flying south towards the Thames Estuary it was like having a 'virtual reality' map unfold beneath as you saw all the little creeks and mudflats, little boats and big boats, motorways and lanes.  We landed in a meadow

To advertise in
The Ropewalker…

Commercial boxes £5.00 per month or £50.00 per year.

Charity/voluntary group adverts - donation accepted.
Small ads:  £2.00 each
Copy to 20 Manor Street.
Please make cheques payable to:

(West Coker Commemoration Fund)