Mr Henry Alfred Bowring.
A FORMER High Sheriff of the IW and former chairman of Bembridge Lifeboat Association, Henry Alfred Bowring, has died, aged 85.
Mr Bowring, of The Old Orchard, Bembridge, was born on September 4, 1924, in Cheshire and educated at Shrewsbury School.
He joined the Royal Navy in 1942 and served on HMS Whimbrel on North Atlantic convoy protection duty and at the invasion of Sicily.
On leaving the navy, he joined the family firm, C. T. Bowring and Co. Ltd, working as an underwater welder and then holding a number of directorships in the trading side of the business.
In this capacity, he travelled widely to places such as Borneo, Burma, Nigeria and Cameroon. He retired from the family business aged 44 and settled in Bembridge, where he remained until his death on August 22.
He took an active interest in many IW charities, the most prominent of which were the IW Youth Trust, Bembridge Youth and Community Club, of which he was chairman for 15 years, Bembridge Lifeboat Association, of which he was chairman for many years, and The Abbeyfield Society.
He had an eventful year as High Sheriff of the IW, between 1987 and 1988, with the visits of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, as well as the 1987 General Election, where he acted as returning officer for the IW.
It was also the year of the Great Storm. Mr Bowring had organised a charity evening at Bembridge Sailing Club in aid of the IW Youth Trust, for which a sizeable marquee was erected.
Having inspected the tent and the seating plan the evening before, he was more than surprised to find there was no marquee the following day and no electricity.
Despite this, the true British spirit prevailed and a successful candlelit dinner was enjoyed by all.
He is survived by his wife, Hilda, to whom he was married for 63 years, his three children, eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
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