FORMER head teacher and life-long football lover John Miles, born on January 22, 1922, died at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital on January 11.

Mr Miles’ early days were spent at Boscombe Council School, Gladstone Road, where among other interests he developed a passion for football and poetry.

He left school at 14 and started his working life in the 1930s as a stone mason at Templeman’s, where he became a highly skilled craftsman. After enlisting in the Royal Air Force, he learned many new skills as a wartime aircraft technician both in the UK and in Egypt where he met his beloved wife, Betty.

Mr Miles left the forces in 1946, and trained to become a teacher at Weymouth College, becoming an inspirational and dedicated class teacher at Stourfield Juniors from 1948 to 1955 and, later, at Summerbee Juniors until 1964.

Then, he was appointed head teacher of St Michael’s in the centre of Bournemouth.

In 1973 he moved to Kinson County Primary from where he retired in 1982. During this time he was local president of The National Union of Teachers and The National Association of Head Teachers and represented teachers on both Bournemouth and Dorset County Education Committees where he advocated improvements in all aspects of education, for pupils and staff alike.

Mr Miles was a referee in local football leagues, a qualified FA coach, ran Bournemouth Schools’ football and was involved in many other school sporting events and organisations.

He combined his practical and teaching skills as a woodworking night school tutor at Summerbee Secondary School and was a founder member of Longbarrow Allotment Association, chairing the committee “on a purely temporary footing” for 51 years.

His life-long love of football saw him playing as school captain on the hallowed turf of Dean Court at the age of 10, and he was still supporting the Cherries 82 years later.

He remained fit and fiercely independent to the last and will be sorely missed by many, particularly his two sons and daughters-in-law and his four grandchildren.