A POPULAR ex-president of Darfield Village Club has died.
George Needham, 86, from Nanny Marr Road, Darfield, died on Tuesday at his home after a short illness.
He left school at 14 to work at Houghton Main Colliery then was conscripted in the army for two years.
During his military service he was stationed in Germany and Austria. He stopped film stars Joseph Cotten and Rita Hayworth on a border crossing once after they did not have the correct pass, during the filming of The Third Man. He was also part of a guard detail for Nazi war criminal Rudolf Hess.
His work ethic saw him made an exception to the rule of conscripted soldiers not being able to be made sergeants. He was offered a post in Jamaica as a small arms instructor, but declined in order to return to Darfield and support his mother.
He then served as the National Association of Colliery Overmen, Deputies and Shotfirers’ branch secretary at Dearne Valley Colliery until his retirement just after the miners’ strike.
Son Chris said his father organised a scheme where middle-manager NACODS members paid into a fund which would then support the NUM workers on strike, something he said could have been unique.
He served multiple spells as president of Darfield Village Club.
Chris said: “Everyone knew my dad. Because Nanny Marr Road is in the centre he would walk around on a regular basis. He would sit in Mad Geoff’s barber’s shop on Snape Hill Road and talk to people there, or walk down to the library.
“He just generally mixed with people and loved Darfield and believed in its people.
“He was involved in the village club for decades. It was his place where he would go and he was very loyal to it.”
George leaves wife Eileen, sons Chris and Andrew, and grandchildren Don, Lisa and Greg.
The funeral will be held at 1.15pm at Darfield All Saints’ Church on December 29, followed by burial at Darfield cemetery.
