A village has lost its own ‘living legend’ with the death of Frank Bond only weeks before his 96th birthday.

Mr Bond had devoted his life to Eton Wick - where he was born in Common Road in 1922.

He was the son of the village greengrocer and eventually one of eight children.

Initially he dreamed of travel and adventure, applying unsuccessfully as a young man of 15 to join the RAF.

But four years later with the country at war he was accepted, going on to serve in Egypt, Aden and Masirah on the Indian Ocean.

After the war though he returned to the village he loved.

He worked for a time at Hawker Aircraft, Langley before joining his father and brother in their greengrocery business in Eton Wick.

The business expanded into Langley, Holyport and Eton. Mr Bond sold the last of the shops in 1986.

But his contribution to life in Eton Wick went much further. He developed youth football in the village, serving as youth club leader from 1951 to 1961 and then its chairman.

This led to the establishment of the Wicko Carnivals.

Mr Bond later became chairman of the village churchyard committee and in 1992 formed the Eton Wick History Group with John Denham, which still flourishes today.

Mr Bond never married. He leaves his brother Ernie and a large family of nephews and nieces.

His nephew and godson Bill Stacey, now 75, worked in Mr Bond’s shop as a boy.

He said: “He was an inspiration to me. Everybody my age will remember him from his work with the youth club and youth football.

“He had a gift of inspiring young people to achieve things they never thought they were capable of.”

The funeral for family and friends is next Tuesday, May 15 at Slough Crematorium at noon, followed at 1pm by a service is at St John the Baptist Church in Eton Wick and a reception at the Village Hall at 2pm.