Rogers, Bill – Able seaman became an able manager

Bill Rogers (1933-2013)

William Vincent Rogers was born in 1933 at Thorpe, near Farndon, Newark.

He joined the Royal Navy in 1948, aged just 15, in the gunnery section.

He served for 12 years, ending up at HMS Sultan in Gosport, Hampshire. He mainly visited the Far East, Singapore, Hong Kong, served in Korea and visited Africa twice, India and Sri Lanka and Suez in 1956.

When on HMS Kenya, he celebrated his 19th birthday in a “Crossing the Equator” ritual. He then went on to visit Mombasa.

In 1954 he met Frieda while they were both serving on HMS Excellent, the Gunnery School at Whale Island, Portsmouth. He was there changing from gunnery to Naval Police. They married in 1955

In 1960 Mr Rogers left the service and the family settled in Newark. Their son, Alan was born the following year.

Mr Rogers did various jobs until settling with Gilstraps as a lorry driver and then yard foreman, remaining there until 1969 when the business closed.

He then started work at Henry Bell in Grantham, working his way up to works manager.

He served the Lee family for the next 28 years and they became good friends.

When his daughter emigrated to Alberta, Canada, in 1980, he and Frieda visited every other year and watched their grandchildren and great-grandchildren growing up there.

Mr Rogers continued to work part-time from the age of 60 until fully retiring in 1998. He then bought a camper van and he and his wife travelled all over. They also spent 10 years wintering in Mallorca, where they made many Spanish friends.

He was skilled at cross-stitch and made many pictures which have been distributed around the world.