Tributes have been paid to a former soldier and passionate campaigner.
Winston ‘Meash’ Maskell, who has died at the age of 77, had a long and varied career serving in the armed forces and as a firefighter.
He has been described as community spirited with a strong dedication to various charitable causes including the Guards Parachute Association, RNLI, RSPCA and the RSPB.
The Chideock resident was described as a “driving force” behind a long running campaign to construct a path on the north side of the A35 from Chideock to Bridport due to the lack of a safe pedestrian route out of the village.
Fellow campaigner Deidre Coates has commended Mr Maskell for his work on the project which will be continued in his honour.
She said: “Despite the countless obstacles that we have met along the way, Meash has always been courteous and reasonable.
“It was a pleasure to work alongside him. Because of this refusal to resort to anger or sarcasm, he has succeeded keeping on good terms with all the key players concerning this pathway.
“He has built up a long list of supporters and all this has been his work. Those of us who have been helping him are now determined to make this path happen. It will be a memorial to a very fine, decent man.”
READ MORE: Safe Chideock pedestrian path out towards Bridport
Born on June,17 1947 in Christchurch, Mr Maskell was the second born of five including an older brother called Rob, two younger brothers, Tony, Neil and a sister Elizabeth (Lee).
His strong affiliation to West Dorset began from early childhood with frequent family holidays spent in Seatown and Chideock in the 50s and early 60s.
He was also a passionate member of his local church choir. He joined the army in 1962, serving in the Junior Leaders Regiment/ Royal Armoured Corp at Bovington and on completion of training was posted in 1964 to RHG Knightsbridge London. In the 1970s, he met his soon to be wife Sylvia who sadly passed away two years ago.
Mr Maskell was discharged from the army in 1973 and started a new career as a fireman in Surrey.
He was soon promoted to station fire officer in Woking, as a watch commander, and Guildford as a senior officer in the fire safety department. He and his wife Sylvia moved to Chideock in 1983 - an area “close to his heart” where he became more involved in the village.
His brother Tony said: “When he joined the army, that was the making of him.
“He lived in Surrey after that but he desired to come back to West Country. That was where his heart was.”
Even during retirement, he didn’t stop working on projects and causes he was passionate about. He had a great love of animals and donated a lot of time and resources to animal welfare trusts and charities like the RSPB.
Towards the end of his life, he became immersed in the Chideock to Bridport path campaign which became a testament to his great dedication and his fastidious nature. Tony said: “He had this dedication to whatever he did and was so meticulous with his work. He did it all wholeheartedly, leaving no stone unturned.”
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