10th August 1923 – 6th January 2023
Dennis was born in Cattistock in 1923 and moved with his family to Leigh when his grandfather bought the village bakery there in 1927. Not liking school he was delighted to leave, aged 15, to start working in the bakery. Shortly after, at the outbreak of war, Dennis volunteered to join the Royal Navy and being a baker he was posted as a chef in the submarine branch. During one mission his submarine was depth charged and badly damaged so dived to the sea bed for safety. When they did try to surface the first and second attempts to start the engines failed. Thankfully on the third attempt they did start and the boat surfaced and returned to safety. Discharged in 1946 Dennis returned to the bakery at Leigh
Dennis married Grace Mitchell in Stalbridge in 1948, and they had two sons, Graham and Steven, who would in turn join the family bakery.
It was in the 1950s that Dennis took up bell ringing in Leigh, and in 1961 he became a regular at Evershot practices where he became proficient in ringing many doubles and minor methods.
By the 1980s the bakery was supplying specialty items to some of the big London stores and in the run up to Christmas he was especially welcome at Evershot practices as he often brought bags of rejects from the bakery, cheese thins, cheese straws, and mince pies.
When Leigh bells were rehung in 1996/97 Dennis took an active part in the project and was always very keen to ensure Leigh bells were rung regularly for services even after there were no longer enough local ringers for a regular practice. Following the rehang it became a tradition to ring a quarter peal at Leigh on or about 10th August every year for his birthday. After each of these there were frequently nibbles from the bakery, along with a glass of something – his home made lettuce wine one year.
Although the last birthday quarter he rang himself was for his 93rd birthday he continued to come and listen, including on his 99th birthday, and was insistent the ringers promise to continue ringing for him for his birthday in the years to come.
Dennis will be missed by his ringing friends not only as a keen and accomplished bell ringer but also for his cheerful encouragement, his joy, his keen humour and the twinkle in his eye.
(GRE)
