A FORMER headmaster of Gawber Junior and Infants School has died, aged 90.

William Gerald Bradbury, known as Gerald, was born in Wath-upon-Dearne and was a member of a family of two children of Ernest and Alice Bradbury and attended Park Road Junior and Infants and later Wath Grammar School.

On leaving school he took up a metallurgist apprenticeship at Wombwell Foundry and stayed there for a number of years except for a short break when he did his National Service in the RAF stationed in North Yorkshire.

He later became manager of Flavell’s furniture store in Wath.

Gerald then attended Scawsby Teacher Training College in Doncaster and within four years qualified and took over the headship at Gawber school where he stayed until retiring after 21 years.

While at the school, he set up a drama group performing pantomimes and set up a pet club where the children helped to look after different animals including a goat who often escaped.

Gerald was a beekeper for more than 60 years and loved gardening.

He also enjoyed painting and sketching and set up an art group known as Valley Art Group which met in Valley Methodist Church and later in the Maurice Dobson Museum.

He was a member of Wombwell Male Voice Choir and the local barber shop singers for many years and helped form a singing group known as the Andco singers who performed evenings of music and readings locally raising money for charities.

He was also involved with voluntary organisations including Wath Trinity Methodist Church, the Wednesday Club in West Melton and then Barnsley and District Talking Newspaper and Barnsley Hospice.

In recognition of his voluntary work, in 2005 Gerald was invited to attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace along with his wife Mary Rochford.

He leaves wife Mary, son David and his wife Charlotte, daughter Jane and her husband Clive, grandchildren Alexander, Ruth, Kirsty, Craig, Imogen and Morven and great grandchildren Iona, Ethan and Mia.

Gerald also had a sister, Maisie, who died, aged 28, following a road accident.

He died at home on May 27.

The funeral service took place at Barnsley Crematorium in Ardsley yesterday..

Funeral arrangements are by Hammertons.