Edwin John Wakefield, who was twice Mayor of Malmesbury and presided over the town’s 1,100th anniversary celebrations, died on November 5 at the Great Western Hospital in Swindon, aged 89.

The first of seven children, Mr Wakefield was born on December 30, 1924 and grew up in Great Somerford.

He helped his father William who was head gardener at Dauntsey Park and quickly got to grips with the idiosyncratic generator which provided electricity for the main house.

Impressed, his father arranged for him to be taken on as an apprentice electrician with Bulson Bros of Chippenham which led to him working on the construction of the Army Barracks at Devizes.

Mr Wakefield’s life changed when he realised that someone kept stealing his tools. It turned out to be a ruse by an Army Land Girl from Lancashire who was working in Wiltshire and was keen to engineer a meeting with the electrician.

Edwin and Joan Wakefield were married in Warrington in April, 1947, and after a brief spell in Lancashire moved to Great Somerford and then Chippenham.

They set up an electrical goods shop in Bristol Street, Malmesbury, before moving to larger premises in High Street followed by another move across the road.

In the late 60s the couple – who by this time had three children – branched into the china, glass and kitchenware business, opening Pot-au-feu.

In 1971 Mr Wakefield was elected Mayor of Malmes-bury with Joan becoming Mayoress.

Nine years later in 1980 he was again asked to become mayor during a special year for the town, when it celebrated the 1,100th anniversary of its charter.

Mr Wakefield accompanied Princess Anne around the town during her official visit when she opened the gardens at the rear of the abbey.

The couple decided to focus solely on Pot-au-feu, opening outlets in Tetbury and Marlborough. After retirement they became well known in Malmesbury for their garden.

Mrs Wakefield died, after 62 years of marriage in 2009. They had three sons, Bernard, David and Jonathan.

His funeral was held on Tuesday at St Aldhelm’s Roman Catholic Church, Malmesbury.