Obituary of last railwayman in Bridport who has died

Eric Bowditch was a railway delivery driver serving west Dorset for almost 40 years,

He died at his home in Crewkerne and his funeral was held in the town earlier this week.

Mr Bowditch grew up in Drimpton and during the early years of the Second World War was a member of the Broadwindsor Home Guard, whose duties would include patrolling the cliffs at Eype.

After completing military service during which he served with the Devonshire Regiment in Austria he joined British Railways at Crewkerne station from where in the early 1950s he became a delivery driver whose round included Beaminster and its environs.

Following rationalisation of the railways he moved to Yeovil Hendford in 1966 and in 1968 extended his delivery duties to Bridport and most of west Dorset.

Mr Bowditch's yellow National Carriers lorry was a familiar site in East Street each morning and later in the day around the Bridport estates and villages stretching from the Marshwood Vale to Askerswell and north to the Somerset border.

With the closure of the Bridport Branch in 1975 he effectively became the last railwayman working in the town as his duties included delivering rail express parcels.

A family spokesman said: "It was a job he loved. The ever-changing vista of the Marshwood Vale, Jurassic Coast and Dorset Downs from his cab was a great delight to him. Most of all he cherished the warm relationship he enjoyed with his customers, the people of west Dorset."

Mr Bowditch retired in 1990 but remained an active member of Christian movement Toc H, St Bartholomew’s Church, Crewkerne and the Devon & Dorset Regimental Association.

In 1994 he received the award of Honoured Citizen of Crewkerne for his charitable work and his long service to the church in the town.

In this role in May 2012 he was delighted to meet Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip when they visited Crewkerne as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebration. His funeral was held at Crewkerne Parish Church on Monday, October 17.