Picture perfect tribute

A KEEN amateur photographer whose pictures often took pride of place on our letters page has passed away.

Derek Nash, of Warwick, shared dozens of Pic of the Day images with Telegraph readers over the years. He died following a long illness at the age of 85.

Photography was just one of Derek’s hobbies that friends and family fondly recalled during his funeral service at Oakley Wood Crematorium last Monday [Mar 12].

Born Earle Derek Nash in November 1932, Derek was a Bedworth boy who went on to study electrical egineering at EMEB in Sandy Lane, studying on day release at Coventry Technical College. He completed his National Service in 1952, training as a radar mechanic and spending 18 months in Singapore.

He returned to Coventry in 1956 to finish his apprenticeship at EMEB, where he came to be known by his middle name and also, where he met Jackie, who would later become his wife. The pair had two daughters, Jayne and Sally.

Derek worked at Armstrong Whitworth (later Hawker Siddeley) before his career came full circle and he returned to EMEB, where he remained until retirement.

Derek had a passion for steam trains, cars, opera, gardening and walking in the countryside, as well as photography – something he would come to be known for in the Telegraph offices and beyond. That passion can perhaps be traced back to 1951, when he won the Midland Daily Tribune photography competition – along with a prize of ten shillings.

Here, we’d like to revisit some of Derek’s wonderful snaps and bid him a final farewell. Thank you for sharing your view of the world, Derek.