Artist and illustrator Malcolm Stokes, who lived in Urchfont, has died after a long illness at the age of 73.

Donald Malcolm Charles Stokes was born in Trowbridge, but because his father was in the RAF, travelled all over the world as a boy.

Among his earliest memories was being bombed during the Blitz while his father was stationed at RAF Hornchurch in Essex.

When he was 15 he joined the boy service of the Royal Navy and served in Kenya during the Mau-Mau emergency, dodging road blocks set up by the insurgents.

While in the navy, he acquired a taste for scuba diving and this remained an all-consuming hobby for the rest of his life.

He met his wife Shirley on returning to Trowbridge and the couple were married at Studley in 1956.

To avoid National Service, Mr Stokes signed up to go down the mines in Radstock, only to find he was medically unfit to go into the Army because he was colour blind.

He took a course at the West of England School of Art, but left before he completed it and signed up with a Bath advertising agency.

He was snapped up by the DC Thomson group that produced the Beano and Dandy children’s comics and illustrated for them and for the Thunderbirds comic, based on the hit TV series.

After retiring, he continued to paint and his superb work has graced many local art exhibitions.

He helped out the church in Urchfont by illustrating a humorous Christmas card last year, featuring the ducks on the famous village pond.

He leaves his widow, Shirley, two sons, Martin and Tim and three granddaughters.

His funeral is due to take place next Thursday, October 16, at 2pm at St Michael and All Angels Church, Urchfont. Mourners are invited to the Lamb Inn afterwards.