We have received the sad news from Bob Purnell that Roy Mills died on Friday 27 June.
Roy, and his first wife Audrey, moved to Seend in 1976 and immediately joined the local band arranging and conducting many peals and quarter peals. They later moved to Wingfield. They both held prominent positions on the Devizes Branch Committee and were responsible for the resurgence of 12 bell ringing at Trowbridge (culminating with a peal of Stedman Cinques in 1984). Roy and Audrey were also very much involved in all branch events, arranging branch Dinners, Outings and an annual BBQ which became very popular not only with ringers from the Devizes branch but also from neighbouring branches of the Guild. Whilst in post as Branch Chairman, Roy was also responsible for the installation of the sound control at Edington which made a significant improvement.
Audrey died on 2 December 1991 and Roy later married Barbara and moved to Heytesbury where he became a regular ringer in the Salisbury Branch until his last move to Malvern in 2016. Roy’s final BellBoard entry is a Quarter Peal of Grandsire Caters rung at St Peter Bromyard on 16 February 2025.
There are a good number of peal boards which have both Roy and Audrey’s names listed as ringers and a peal board at St James Trowbridge records a peal of Stedman Triples rung half muffled in 1992 in memory of Audrey.
It was interesting to learn that Brian Coward (Trowbridge) rang with Roy and Audrey at Dorking and Ewell before Brian, and subsequently Roy and Audrey, moved to the West Country. Brian rang his first peal of Surprise Major with Roy in 1974 at St Mary Ewell. Chris Caryer, now a Salisbury Branch ringer, was also a member of the peal band.
On 2 July a Peal was rung at Steeple Langford (Salisbury Branch) in memory of Roy. I’m sure that many more peal and quarter peals will be rung all over the country in his memory.
Julia
Secretary
Devizes Branch
