Obituary

THE well-attended funeral of Edward Victor Pordage, 64, took place last Wednesday at St Bartholomew's Church, Wootton Bassett.

Mr Pordage, of Station Road, took early retirement seven years ago due to arthritis, but his sudden death from a heart attack came as a shock to his family and friends and he will be missed by very many people.

Father Bernard Garratt recalled that Eddie, known as Porky to some of his friends, was born at Folkestone, Kent, one of six brothers.

At the age of 15, he continued his education at the Sea School in Sharpness before joining the Merchant Navy, and spent some time at sea on tankers. Eddie did his national service not in the Navy, but in the Royal East Kent Regiment with which he was on active service in Egypt during the Suez crisis.

In later years, he was involved in various marine engineering projects at Dungeness and on the sea wall at Folkestone.

Eddie and Doris, who were married in 1961 at Folkestone, later moved to Wootton Bassett with their young son and daughter, Anthony and Carol, and for a time helped to run the town post office.

However, Eddie's main employment was at St Ivel, where he worked for 18 years. Sharing some recollections of the home-loving family man, who delighted in his grandchildren Daniel, Amy and Lauren, Father Bernard said that it had been Anthony who paid the best tribute of all when he said: "I am glad he was my Dad."

After the service and the cremation at Kingsdown, a reception was held at The Town Local.

Memorial donations were invited for the Arthritis Research Campaign, via Maslin Funeral directors, High Street, Wootton Bassett.