Dinghy Den founder was WWII PoW
ROBERT Gunther - passed away peacefully on June 23, aged 86.
Bob was born in Portsmouth where he spent his early childhood, before the family moved to Nottingham.
After leaving school and as war was declared, he realised his long-held dream of joining the Royal Navy, entering the Fleet Air Arm as an Observer and in 1943 accepting a commission as a Sub-Lieutenant.
The following year, while serving on HMS Illustrious, he was shot down over the Andaman Islands and taken prisoner by the Japanese spending the rest of the war in a Prisoner of War camp in Japan.
In the 1950s, he married Rosemary and they had two daughters, Patience and Vicky.
After several years in Ceylon, working as a NAAFI manager, Bob moved the family to Devon where he became landlord of the Leaping Salmon pub in Horrabridge.
In 1960 Bob moved to Hayling Island. He started the boat chandlers, Dinghy Den, in Elm Grove, which would become a well-known establishment for the next 40 years.
He immersed himself in the world of offshore powerboat racing and later, in the sport of archery, in which he both competed and taught, setting up a number of local clubs, and eventually rising to the position of national judge.
Bob was well-known around the Island and he will be greatly missed by friends and family alike.
A thanksgiving service was held at St Peter's Church, Northney, on July 15, followed by a get-together at Bob's local - The Yew Tree Inn.
Woodland Trust dedications can be left at www.dedicatetrees.com/ - fund reference 100577 - or donations to Royal Naval Benevolent Trust c/o Gradys, 23 Mengham Road, Hayling.
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Weather for Hayling
Friday 25 May 2012
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Temperature: 13 C to 25 C
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