One of the great characters in the Devizes area, Gerald ‘Basil’ Chapman, has died at the age of 75.

Mr Chapman, who lived in Erlestoke, was a talented artist and linguist who intercepted Russian military broadcasts while serving in the Royal Navy in the Baltic Sea during the Cold War.

Born in Southampton, Mr Chapman was educated at Brockenhurst County High School and Southampton Art School.

During his National Service from 1953-1955 he was seconded to the coder section of the Royal Navy and learned Russian so he could intercept top secret messages from the Soviet Navy.

He married his first wife Judith in 1964 and the couple moved to Overton with their young family, moving to Devizes two years later.

The couple had three sons, Ellis, Clive and Christopher and five grandchildren.

Mr Chapman was a sales rep for Marley Tiles before moving to Archie Kidd Machinery in Devizes in 1969, where his artistic talent and wickedly clever cartoons made him perfect for creating the firm’s annual calendars.

He remarried in 1984 but his second wife Audrey died in 1996.

Mr Chapman loved quality in all things and owned two Riley cars. He was a noted amateur watercolourist and many of his works grace the walls of pubs all over the area, including the George and Dragon in Erlestoke – his local – and the Royal Oak in Easterton, another of his favourite watering holes.

His eldest son Ellis said: “He loved the countryside and studied the Pewsey Vale when he was at school, so he was delighted when we moved to Wiltshire to be able to show us the landmarks of the area.”

Mr Chapman’s funeral took place at West Wiltshire Crematorium on Monday.

A tribute cricket match for the Basil Chapman Memorial trophy takes place at Erlestoke Cricket Club tomorrow, starting at 6.15pm.