A FORMER headteacher of Salisbury’s St Joseph’s School has died at the age of 91.

Bernard Hall became headteacher at the school in January 1964, spending four months living in a small caravan in the car park when it was still a building site.

He remained at the school for 19 years, setting an ethos of care and respect, before retiring from teaching and retraining as a coach driver as he loved driving.

Mr Hall was born in London in 1923.

He was an active Sea Scout and became a King Scout, the highest award in Scouting.

On the outbreak of the Second World War, he worked for the war office and did regular fire watch in the blitz until he was old enough to join up at 18.

He obtained a commission at Sandhurst and served in several regiments, being involved in the invasion of Europe in Italy prior to DDay, seeing fighting in the mountains where he was wounded.

After the war he was posted to Greece to fight the Communist incursion and at the age of 23 was appointed the military commander of the Greek island of Thasos.

On being demobbed Bernard went to teacher training college where he met Norah. The couple married in December 1950.

The couple were married for more than 50 years and stuck together through more than their fair share of heartache – both their daughters being killed in separate road accidents – Mary in 1961 at the age of nine, and Frances in 1973 when she was 17.

Mr Hall is survived by their three sons, Chris, Tim and John.

Mrs Hall died of motor neurone disease in 2006.

He moved to Milford House Nursing Home, where he died in his sleep on Friday, March 14 aged 91 years.