Derek Williams had an incredible record even before he became president of Blackmoor Golf Club.

For starters, the ever-smiling “gentleman” and family man played a role in the development of the world’s fastest plane and the raising of the Mary Rose.

And that’s before we mention the OBE and the role he played in Liss, from helping out with its carnival, scouts and youth club to setting up a network of defibrillators.

There was barely a spare seat in St Mary’s last Monday as tributes were paid to the 93-year-old who died peacefully on December 30.

Derek was born in Middlesex in July 1932 and recalled seeing the eyes of a German fighter pilot fly past the window of his bedroom window.

After the war he joined the Fairey Aviation Company and was headhunted after playing a part in the development of a record-breaking supersonic plane.

He rose to the top at Pall UK (Europe) and settled in Liss, becoming a trustee at the Liss Heart Trust and getting involved in numerous village causes.

He was also a trustee at the Mary Rose Trust and Portsmouth University, and was awarded an OBE for services to the UK for Pall’s work in the first Gulf War.

Mourners heard Derek “made his own luck” and there was rarely a raffle when he left empty-handed.

One example included a hospitality experience at Portsmouth FC where he not only won a cash draw, but also a signed shirt after getting the time of the first goal.

But luck aside, Derek earned his rewards for a lifetime of dedication to his family, country and community. The numbers at the funeral, and the packed clubhouse at Blackmoor Golf Club afterwards, were a testament to his popularity on and off the green.

Mr Williams, husband to the late Audrey, leaves two children.