Brian Hill, businessman and community worker

Born in Bristol in July 1936, he had vivid wartime memories of running from rolling incendiary devices, and in April 1941 his family was bombed out of three houses in a week.

After leaving college in Bristol, he found work in the engineering and printing division of the Imperial Tobacco Company, but in 1954 he was called up for National Service and was sent to Portsmouth to join the Navy.

Within eight days, he was on board HMS Theseus heading for the Mediterranean on exercises. He was later among the first UK servicemen to visit to Leningrad.

In 1962, he was offered a job at Riggs Holdings in Bridlington and went on to become their export sales manager. Seven years later, he left to set up his own company, Savecrest in Bridlington, after having been approached by a German consortium. The role took him to Germany, Argentina, the USA and Brazil.

In his adopted Yorkshire home, he was a founder, life member and chairman of Bridlington Civic Society, as well as chairman of the governors of Burlington Infant and Junior Schools.

He was a member and then elected Fellow of the Institute of Directors, president of Bridlington Art Society, patron of the Hull University Art Collection, treasurer of the Royal Navy Association Bridlington, treasurer and life member of the Derwent Anglers Club, and chairman and president of trustees of the Friends of the Ferens Art Gallery in Hull.

A world renowned expert and published author on the Italian Renaissance painter Cima da Conegliano, his passions also included Mercedes cars, travelling on Concorde, visiting Venice, and listening to Puccini and Pink Floyd.

He is survived by his wife, Grace, daughter Julie and son Colin.