Tributes pour in following death of retired farmer Horace, 100

Horace George Corfield died on January 11, having recently celebrated his 100th birthday.

Mr Corfield was born at Drawell Farm, Cleobury North, on December 11, 1916, and is formerly of Hook Farm in Bridgnorth. He is survived by his wife Heather, aged 85, and son Steven, aged 61.

Mr Corfield was one of 11 brothers and sisters and first went to school at Middleton Priors. When the family moved to Hook Farm he went to St John's School in Bridgnorth.

For a short time Mr and Mrs Corfield farmed at Stanley Farm, Chorley, and in their later years they retired to Ackleton. He was a founding member of Bridgnorth Young Farmers' Club.

Steven said: "In his early years he worked with horse-drawn vehicles and machinery. With the onset of farm mechanisation he first took on steam-powered threshing machines, followed by petrol and diesel tractors, combine harvesters and early electric milking machines.

"He was a very good stockman and the animals always took to him. They could sense his kindness, apart from two bulls who confronted each other on our farm leading to my dad separating them single handedly with a pitchfork.

"I remember sitting with my dad when Apollo 11 landed on the moon in 1969, and thinking then about the range of technology he had witnessed in his lifetime. We can now add another 48 years of technology." In his younger years Mr Corfield was a very keen cricketer, playing for teams including Tasley, Bridgnorth, Willey, Stottesdon and Chorley. Steven added: "He took two hat-tricks including the crucial one in the final of the county knock-out."

More recently, Mr Corfield played bowls for Top Green Bridgnorth, Stockton in Norton, Bridgnorth indoor leagues and he was also a member of the Bylet Bowling Club.

Steven added: "He had a very unusual bowling style by releasing the wood before it had touched the ground so that it bounced and he became known as 'The Bouncing Bomber' or 'Barnes Wallis' after The Dambusters.

"He was also a life member of Bridgnorth Probus Club and a vice-president of Bridgnorth Tennis Club."

He said: "In the 1990s Horace travelled to Australia to visit his family in Queensland. On the way to Australia my mum was taken very ill with food poisoning and dad was invited to sit in the co-pilot's seat of a jumbo jet. Luckily mum made a full recovery.

"He leaves a wealth of happy memories and will be very much missed.

"He lived a full life to the end, usually playing Scrabble twice a week and, as is typical of so many of his generation, he lived life with kindness, grace and fortitude."

A remembrance service was due to be held for Mr Corfield at St Peter's Church in Worfield today at 11.30am.