Roger John Akrill (54-62) was born on 11 January 1945 at Butleigh in Somerset. When he was a few weeks old, he travelled with his family to Beverley where he remained until he retired. He was educated in Beverley until he became a pupil at Pocklington School.

His family had the business of H. Esau Akrill (Gunmaker) in the Market Place, Beverley which had been operating since 1828 selling equipment and accessories for hunting, shooting and fishing. When Roger left school, he trained to be a gunsmith in Birmingham for a year and then took his place in the family business where he worked until retirement. For the past 25 years of his life, he has lived in Thornton-Le-Dale with his partner Jean, where he died suddenly on 9th April 2024.

Roger loved the village and his garden and excelled at all things DIY. He was a member of Scarborough Cricket Club and was a keen supporter of Yorkshire County Cricket, and had attended the Scarborough Cricket Festival for most of his life. He also kept in regular touch with fellow pupils from Pocklington.

(Jean Leggott)