A MUCH-LOVED and respected former maths teacher has died at the age of 92.

Barbara Shields, who lived in Riverside Close in Laverstock for more than 50 years before recently moving to a retirement apartment in the centre of Salisbury, taught maths at Godolphin School for nearly a quarter of a century.

Following her retirement, she continued to teach part-time at Chafyn Grove School, the Cathedral School and Leaden Hall School as well as providing private maths coaching for those doing Eleven-plus, Common Entrance, GCSE and University entrance.

Both she and her late husband Robert were deeply involved with Salisbury Cathedral. Robert was a steward, a guide and, following his retirement from the Civil Service, was appointed as Deputy Chapter Clerk in 1982. Meanwhile Barbara became in turn a taperer, an administrant and a sub-deacon as well as a steward. In addition to serving in the cathedral, Barbara regularly took communion to the bedside of those in Salisbury District Hospital and in the hospice.

Barbara was also actively involved in various education committees. Her contacts at Godolphin remained very special to her and she was a staunch member of the Old Godolphin Association Committee for many years, as well as being an honorary member of the Salisbury Cathedral School Association Committee. Barbara was instrumental, along with her husband, in setting up the Hampshire and Wiltshire branch of the Cambridge Society and remained an enthusiastic supporter of their visits and events.

Following her education at the Maynard School in Exeter, Barbara joined the Ministry of Supply in 1943, and was sent by them to do an accelerated chemistry course in Cambridge. She was then posted to Porton Down where she worked initially as a chemist for the Chemical Defence Experimental Establishment and then the Microbiological Research Establishment.

In 1949 she met and married Robert Shields, an aeronautical engineer working at Boscombe Down. Robert had read engineering at Pembroke College, Cambridge which, along with Barbara’s own studies in Cambridge, provided the connection and interest for her later association with the Cambridge Society.

After the birth of her only daughter, Alison, Barbara left her work at Porton Down. A few years later she embarked on her teaching career, becoming a part-time maths teacher at the Salisbury Technical College. Then, in 1962, she went to Sarum St Michael college where she completed two years of teacher training with maths as her main subject. In 1964 she joined Godolphin School where she taught maths until her initial retirement in 1987.

She is survived by her daughter, Alison, son-in-law Andrew and her grandsons, Alexander and Christopher.

Her funeral will be held in Salisbury Cathedral on August 15.