Tributes paid to ‘true old Boshamer’

Ken Bailey passed away on Sunday, March 8, aged 92, surrounded by his loving family.

Mr Bailey was born in a cottage on the Gosport side of Old Bosham in 1927 and loved the village with a special passion all his life.

Generations of his family were Boshamers and are buried in the churchyard of Holy Trinity and Fairfield cemetery.

His family owned and operated the Apps shipyard on the quay.

Mr Bailey’s family said: “Ken served in the choir of Holy Trinity for 11 years and was a larger than life character in the daily life of the villagers in the 1930s.

“Always interested in some good old fashioned, harmless fun, if there was something amiss in the village, everyone knew this high spirited lad had a hand in it.”

Mr Bailey was a member of the village Boys and Girls Club which met in Manor Barn, was on the village football team and spent many hours fishing in the horse pond and swimming off the quay.

He wrote a book about growing up in the village, titled My Bosham, which documents many amusing stories of his mischievous exploits and the reality of living in the village during the war.

Mr Bailey started working for Portsmouth Water Company at 17 and became an engineer – the start of a long career in this field which saw him working for local companies including LEC, GEC, Southern Gas Board, Wingards, Hago, Camelot Controls and Shiphams.

Ken was preceded in death by his first wife of 24 years, Jean, and his parents, Herbert and Grace Bailey (née Apps).

He is survived by his second wife of 45 years, Pamela, and his daughters, Angela Edney and Melanie Amiot; grandchildren Philip, Graham, Chris and Natalie; great-grandsons Danny, Ben, Oliver and Finley; great-granddaughters Amy, Lucy and Elizabeth, and two great-grandsons to be born this Spring, Kyle and Giles.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by the Co-Operative Funeralcare in High Street Cosham.

A service will be held at Porchester Crematorium, Upper Cornaway Lane, Fareham on Friday at 1.15 pm.

His daughters said: “We don’t have a memory of Bosham without you in it, Dad, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Enjoy the tides at Crabapple Corner. Love forever and always, Angela and Melanie.”