Retired builder Gwynne “Taffy” Davies who forsook his native North Wales for Wiltshire after meeting and marrying a Ramsbury woman has died at the age of 82 after contracting c-difficile.

His family believes he contracted the superbug during a of a short stay at the Great Western Hospital back in June when he was admitted for minor surgery following diagnosis for cancer.

Mr Davies was born and brought up near Wrexham and at an early age developed a love for sport and for soccer in particular later becoming a professional playing for Bath and being offered a team place with Brentford but giving it up because all the travelling kept him away from his wife, sons and daughters at Ramsbury.

He left school at 14 and went to work for a local building company in Wales and at the age of 16 did his National service in the Parachute Regiment which brought him to Netheravon,Wiltshire.

It was during his army service in Wiltshire that he met the girl who was to become his wife.

He was proud of his military service, seeing active duty in Palestine, and loved telling his grandchildren that he made over 300 parachute jumps.

Taffy and Madie Davies, who was from Ramsbury, were married in 1946 and lived with her parents at 44 Whittonditch Road until getting a home of their own at No 14 where they lived for much of their married life, later moving to Chapel Lane.

He started work with a local drainage company digging trenches by hand and then went to work for the former Marlborough and Ramsbury District Council.

Council wages were low and with a large family to feed Mr Davies turned his hand to a wide variety of jobs working long hours to raise the cash to bring up his family.

His sporting prowess came to the fore at village races which offered prize money and Mr Davies always took part in the long distance runs and collected the winnings.

Mrs Davies died from cancer in 1996 and Mr Davies continued working with his family’s building company even after he was diagnosed with cancer in late 2007.

He died on Tuesday August 11 and his funeral took place at the Church of the Holy Cross in Ramsbury following which he was buried with his wife in the churchyard.