PROLIFIC Bournemouth writer David Hilliam was born in East Coker, near Yeovil, in 1930.

He moved to Salisbury at the age of eight and lived in the village of Bemerton, just outside the city, where he joined the choir of St John’s Church, eventually becoming head chorister.

He passed away in the church on April 30, in the company of friends and in the village that he loved.

David attended Bishop Wordsworth School, where he was taught by Lord of the Flies author William Golding.

In March this year he featured in a BBC2 documentary on Golding’s life.

David had piano and organ lessons and won an exhibition to Selwyn College, Cambridge. On leaving school, he cycled from Salisbury to post-war Germany and worked in a cement factory. He was invited to preach in the local church on the theme of reconciliation.

After graduating from Cambridge University, David went to Oxford University and studied at the Sorbonne University, Paris.

On his first English teaching job, at Woking Boys’ School, he met his wife Mary, a music teacher who had just started working at the girls’ school.

Following a few years teaching at Kent College in Canterbury, David was appointed at Bournemouth School where he worked for more than 30 years as head of English and then deputy headmaster.

Besides teaching he produced plays, wrote annual pantomime, accompanied the choir, which rehearsed every day before school, and produced the school magazine.

Each morning break, boys would crowd around to read his Word for the Day, giving the background to interesting words, which he pinned on his office door. These were later compiled to form his first book, published by Chambers and also in the Echo.

Retirement gave David the freedom to write, give talks, work as a chief examiner for Cambridge University, travel and spend time with family and friends.

The success of Kings, Queens, Bones and Bastards launched David as an author, running to many reprints, and was even translated into Hungarian and Estonian.

More than 20 books followed, most recently A Little Book of Dorset and Tig’s Boys.