I should like to echo Bowwaves comments. It is indeed a very sad day not only for me personally but, for many in the marine modeling world as well.
Des will be chiefly remembered for his unstinting enthusiasm and commitment to raising funds for the RNLI , this was done manly through the Model Lifeboat Regatta which was held first at Crosby near his home in Liverpool and, as it grew at the Marine Lake at Southport.
The major achievement of this event was to raise enough money to equip the RNLI with two inshore lifeboats Modeler 1 & 2, as well as the required equipment for the crews. This amounted to at least £25,000, surely an outstanding achievement by any standard.
Des was also the resident Ships in a Bottle demonstrator at the Liverpool Maritime Museum, from its inception until he retired several years ago. I would go over there many times and take many friends and visitors to see him, so that they could see the skill and dexterity and the little bit of magic it took to get a model ship in a variety of bottles; none, I can assure you, ever went away with anything other than a bread smile.
One of Des’s proudest moments was when he was asked to make a model of HMY Britannia for presentation to Her Majesty the Queen. The day duly dawned and Des presented the model in its bottle to Her Majesty, later at lunch, the model was placed in the table in front of the Queen however, there was a bunch of flowers in the way, so the Queen ordered that the flowers be moved so that she could admire the model over lunch. Later in the day, he was given the job of taking the model to the real HMY Britannia then moored alongside Liverpool Landing Stage. This whole episode of course Des extremely proud and he reiterated the tale for a long time afterwards.
Until his retirement Des was one of the stars of Liverpool Maritime Museum, he entertained young and old alike, not only with his modeling skills, of which he had an abundance but, also so with his amusing antidotes about life itself. After retirement from the Museum, he found himself in demand from other museums not only in the UK but abroad as well, much to his surprise I expect.
So my friend, may piece be with you as you cross the Bar and take up your rightful place amongst the marine modelmakers in the sky.
LB