AN engineer who worked on Spitfires and tanks during the Second World War is still making parts in his Parkstone workshop.

In recent years Gordon Forsey, 91, has machined rare and otherwise unobtainable parts for everything from classic cars to nuclear submarines, having worked in his younger years on such diverse aircraft as the Bristol Blenheim bomber, the Supermarine Walrus pusher seaplane, the de Havilland Sea Vixen jet and Concorde.

He works alongside his son Alan, 66, at Ashley Precision Parkstone Ltd in Broom Road - the company he founded in 1961. And when not working he finds time to go deep sea fishing.

“I lost my wife 15 years ago and experience has taught me that if you are going to retire at 65 you have to have a hobby or interest or you won’t live very long,” he said.

“I was an engineer and I find it an interesting job so I just kept on going. If I hadn’t had that I would have just got a fishing boat and spent all my time doing that.

“You never know what is going to come through the door, we have had old Aston Martins and Triumph Stags, and one man needed us to build brakes for a three-wheeled 1903 Leon Bowley.

“These cars went so slowly they didn’t build them with brakes, they would just slip the flat belt off.

“To me every day is challenging, and it gives you satisfaction if you can help someone out who is in trouble and get them back on the road or working again.”

Mr Forsey, who is descended from a family of West Bay fishermen, was a miller at Humphries and Sons in Park Road during the war, working up to 80 hours a week building parts for aircraft as well as tank guns for the African campaign. At night he fought fires wrought by German bombing raids.

He later served as an officer in the Dorset Regiment and ran a prisoner-of-war camp at Setley Plain, near Brockenhurst in the New Forest, where he has fond memories of being taught to drive by the German inmates whom he describes as “people, just like me”.

Mr Forsey, from Parkstone, was married to Joan for 56 years. They had two sons and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

His other great passion is deep sea fishing - with his prized catch a 450kg marlin. He fishes in Cape Verde, releasing the animals after they have been caught.