A MAN whose life was deeply involved in Crediton, a Kirtonian through and through, Len Boddy died on December 3, two years short of his 100th birthday.

Although a staunch Kirtonian Len Boddy was born in Barnstaple where his father, Stanley, was carpenter in a shipyard. Len was still quite young when his family moved to a cottage at the bottom of Cockles Lane off Dean Street where they stayed for 60 years.

Len went to the Hayward’s School and all his life was disappointed that he did not win the one scholarship awarded every year to go to Crediton Grammar School.

His son John said that Len’s work ethic began at an early age when he had started work as a paper boy with Berry’s. That meant collecting the papers at 6am each day from the railway station using a sack truck, pushing this up the town to the High Street shop and then delivering them to get to school by 9am.

On leaving school Len began life in the print shop in Crediton but did not like that much, did not stay long and became an apprentice brick layer with an Exeter company.

Before World War Two Len was building the homes along Topsham Road and Countess Wear until he was seconded because there was a huge need for military bases.

Len was sent all over the South West to build these bases. While working on one of the new headquarters near Bath helping build an RAF station, Len decided to join the RAF.

While training he was staying in hotels in Torquay, a period at Repton with his final training in Canada but he had sciatica and so could not remain in the RAF. Returning to his original trade as a builder, Len went all over the South West helping repair Luftwaffe damage at major centres such as Bath and Plymouth.

After the war Len returned to Crediton, joined Crediton RFC again and was part of the Devon rugby team who won the Devon Junior Cup in 1946-7, beating Buckfastleigh in the final.

Len had met Mary Roper in a blind date in the White Hart at Crediton (now the Crown of Crediton) and they were married in 1947 in Crediton.

They had two children - Joan and John. Len left the building trade and joined what was then Crediton Rural District Council as a Sanitary Inspector. He continued that job when Tiverton and then Mid Devon District Council took over, staying there for the rest of his working life.

Len stopped playing rugby in the 1950s and took up cricket, playing as wicket keeper for Crediton Cricket Club who then had a base on The Rec, the playing field at the entrance to Lords Meadow Industrial Estate.

During this time Len was elected to Crediton Urban District Council and remembered being at the opening of Shelley School at Barnfield, now QE Lower School and among the official party to welcome and entertain Princess Margaret when she unveiled the Boniface statue in Newcombes Meadow.

Len wanted to move on but had no O Levels. So he did something about that, studying for them at the same time as his son. Len studying in the evening at what was then Exeter Technical College, his son during the day at school in Crediton. Curiously both had the same Geography teacher. They both passed.

For many years Len was social secretary of Crediton RFC. That was when the club organised Crediton Carnival - in the days before anything such as the internet. All hand-written correspondence.

His son, John, remembers Len had a great passion for pipe bands and would scour the South West for one to lead the Carnival procession each year.

Len persuaded his wife to rejuvenate the children’s procession held in the afternoon. John and his sister were always sworn to secrecy not to tell anyone who the judges were for the children’s procession and the evening parade.

Len started cabaret nights with comedians at the Rugby Club at one time hiring an exotic dancer complete with boa constrictor.

He also began a Festival of Rugby, unusually nine-a-side and introduced an innovatory scoring system. All the local rugby clubs loved it, said his son.

But Devon Rugby Union banned this system after two or three years as being unlawful. Len was invited to join Devon Rugby Union, eventually becoming President, of which he was very proud.

It was thought then that he was the only person from a junior club in Devon to be accorded that honour. Len would represent Devon RFU at Twickenham.

Alongside this, Len took an active part in the Masons in Crediton, becoming a Master of Unity Lodge in the town. He and Mary had many holidays abroad at this time. Through his Masonic and Rugby activities Len became a popular public speaker and guest of honour at many functions which he enjoyed.

Then came retirement and Len and Mary were greatly honoured to be guests at Buckingham Palace in recognition of his 40 years in local government.

Being a great people watcher, Len had much enjoyed that visit.

Len kept working after his formal retirement age when his immense knowledge of the local council house stock meant he could help people who had been his tenants to buy their own council home.

At the end of the 1970’s or early 1980’s Len and Mary moved from their home on Market Street to Blagdon Rise, both remaining very active well into their 70’s. Later they moved into Meadow Gardens.

Len had taken up painting in his retirement, and was a very talented artist focussing on portraiture.

He had also taken up golf and his son thinks Len was a founder member of the Downes Crediton Golf Club, carrying on playing well into his 80’s.

He and Mary were still taking holidays abroad which Len continued for a time after Mary died 10 years ago.

Len ended his days at Hillbrow Residential Care Home in Crediton.

John said he and the family would like to pay tribute to the staff at Hillbrow and to everyone at the Crediton Inn which had been his father’s "local" and where the Wake was held after the service.

Among the rugby representatives at Len’s funeral service was the President of Devon Rugby Union. It was at his funeral that John and Joan discovered that their father had sung in the parish church choir as a young boy.

As well as John and Joan, Len leaves one grandaughter and one great grand daughter.

Any donations in lieu of flowers were for Holy Cross Crediton Campign Roof Appeal and can still be made through A White and Sons, Albert Road, Crediton EX17 2BZ. Len’s funeral service was held at the Exeter and Devon Crematorium on December 13.

Len Boddy.