WILFRED Davies, retired National Park Warden, died peacefully on 23 March at the age of 91, with his family around him.

Wilfred was born in Charles Street, Tredegar and went to Tredegar County School. In May 1939, just before the Second World War, he joined the Royal Air Force; and from September to May 1939 he was part of the RAF component of the British Expeditionary Force stationed at airfields in NE France near the Belgian border and Maginot line.

He was evacuated pre-Dunkirk by cross-channel ferry from Cherbourg. From 1941-1943 he had various appointments at Rudloe Manor, Bournemouth and HQ Fighter Command.

In 1943 he went to Middle East Command with the first convoy to get through the Mediterranean en route to Alexandria. In 1946 he was promoted to Warrant Officer, appointed as instructor at Rudloe and recommended for a permanent commission.

In 1951, while on a walking holiday in the Black Mountains, he met his future wife, Helen Pepler.

He was staying at the former Monastery at Capel-y-Ffin which was at that time being run as a somewhat spartan guesthouse by Betty, daughter of Eric Gill, sculptor and artist, who had a workshop at the Monastery in the 1920s.

Helen was the eldest of the five children born to Betty and her first husband, David Whiteman Pepler. Wilf fell in love with Helen - and at the same time he fell in love with the Black Mountains and Capel-y-Ffin.

In September 1951 Helen and Wilf were married at Our Lady and St Michael's, Abergavenny, and in 1953 their first son, Peter, was born in Oxford.

In 1956 Wilf moved to the United States with his young family; he was appointed the first Exchange Instructor at the USAF Dept of Intelligence Training Denver, Colorado and Wichita Falls, Texas. A report from that time stated, "Flt Lt. W I Davies ...was exceptional as an instructor and as an ambassador of good will for the British Government... He represents in our opinion, the ideal instructor, that rare combination of penetrating knowledge, good humour and exceptional teaching skill".

In 1956 the family returned to the UK. Wilf had postings at RAF Nuneham Park and RAF Brampton, and gained the rank of Squadron Leader.

By 1959 Wilf and Helen had four children: Peter, James, Sarah and Paul. Wilf was posted to the Joint Air Reconnaissance Centre, Singapore; and the family lived there until returning to Wales and the Monastery at Capel-y-Ffin.

The Monastery buildings were in a poor state, and had little in the way of modern conveniences at that time.

Over the next few years Wilf with his brother-in-law Paul Pepler conducted a systematic programme of repair and improvement.

Somehow Wilf also found time to cultivate the former monastic kitchen garden (where vegetables paraded with military precision and not a weed was to be seen), brew industrial quantities of beer, and to play the ukulele at family gatherings and in the Cwmyoy hall.

During the two decades that the family lived there, Monastery hospitality was renowned: Wilf's beer and Helen's cooking and home-made wines were greatly appreciated by members of their large extended family, friends of their five children (Tim was born in 1966) and an assortment of neighbours, visitors to the holiday flats in the former west cloister, as well as odd individuals, some connected with Eric Gill or Father Ignatius, founder of the Monastery.

In 1964 Wilf was appointed the first Head Warden in the Brecon Beacons National Park. Along with David Newman, who started a year or two later in Breconshire, he pioneered wardening and was one of a very select band in the whole country in those days.

He made good use of his roots and background in both the industrial valleys and the heart of the park to forge links with local people and visitors, creating the voluntary warden service in the late sixties and following that with the first part-time wardens in the early seventies.

Wilf also acted as secretary of the Father Ignatius Memorial Trust, which was the joint brainchild of himself and Fr Brocard Sewell of the Roman Catholic Carmelite Order, an old family friend who was often in residence at the Monastery.

It was an ecumenical enterprise, with the then vicar of All Saints, Hereford (the Rev'd F H Mountney) becoming the third of the three founding Trustees. After a long day patrolling and administering the National Park Wilf would usually be found at his desk typing letters on Trust business on his ancient office typewriter.

One of the Trust's first tasks was to clear all the accumulated rubble and fallen masonry from the ruined abbey church. Wilf's organising ability made light work of this, co-opting local scouts and guides, junior soldiers from Crickhowell and a youth club from London to do the labour, and commissioning local craftsmen to retile the tomb and enclose it with protective railings.

Wilf also organised the annual pilgrimage, a procession and outdoor service which began with the abbey church centenary in 1972, and continues to this day.

In 1984 Wilf retired from the National Park and John Bradley, National Park Planning Officer, wrote, 'The success of the warden/ranger concept in this country was due in no small measure to the skill and diplomacy of Wilf and people like him. His recordkeeping is renowned, doubtless he could tell you how many stiles he has put in, how many sacks of litter have been collected, trees planted, miles of path waymarked, incidents dealt with, and people talked to over the years. But his achievement is so much more than the sum of its parts, in terms of an ideal, honestly striven for, and the tremendous esteem of fellow wardens and other colleagues'.

The following year, Helen and he moved to Abergavenny, where he devoted his still considerable energies to new fund-raising responsibilities with Oxfam.

He was appointed Oxfam Trustee for the South Wales area, visiting Kenya and Zimbabwe on self-funded trips inspecting the work of the charity, as well as giving fund-raising talks to various South Wales voluntary groups.

In his seventies he acquired a wetsuit and took up all-weather swimming, diving and body-boarding; inspiring his children to do the same!

He continued to act as Secretary to the Father Ignatius Memorial Trust until 1993 and as Editor of the Trust Newsletter until 1999, when he turned eighty.

These years were precious ones for Wilf and Helen, who were finally free to enjoy time with each other as well as with their seven grandchildren - who arrived in quick succession.

In later years he was diagnosed with dementia, and accepted increasing frailty with grace and gentle good humour.

For the last fifteen months of his life he was cared for devotedly by the staff of Cantref Residential Home, with daily visits from Helen.

He died on 23 March 2011, and was buried in Llanfoist Cemetery after a well-attended service at the Catholic church of Our Lady and St Michael in Abergavenny.

Over the years, Wilf Davies touched the lives of many people and will be sadly missed.

THE funeral of Mr Wilfred Davies took place at Our Lady and St Michael's Church, Abergavenny prior to interment at New Cemetery, Llanfoist.

Family mourners: Helen Davies, wife; Peter and Gwyneth Davies, son and daughter-in-law; James and Julie Davies, son and daughter-in-law ; Sarah and Jan Davies, daughter and son-in-law; Paul Davies, son; Timothy and Hayley Davies, son and daughter-in-law; grandchildren, Marie Davies, Huw Davies Jenny Davies, Beth Davies, Anna Kowczyk, Tom Kowczyk. Nephew and nieces, Catrin Cribb, Tiflin Cribb, Liam Cribb, Ben Cribb, Tom Cribb, Samuel Pepler, Judith and Malwyn Powell, Felix Pepler, Hayley Pepler, Steven Pepler, Matthew and Penny Pepler. Jessica Griffiths. Mary Griffiths, sister-in-law,Paul Pepler, brother-in-law.

Great nieces: Josie Parker, Sally Parker and great great niece, Isabell Parker.

Also present: Ceinwen Russell-Jones representing Rhiannon, Matthew, Joshua and Evie; Peter Evans representing Choir, Paddy Nash representing Nash family, Mary Price, Woody and Sally,Nora and Mike Woodward representing Father Ignatius Memorial Trust, Lucy A Jones, Frances and John O'Shea, Alan Terry representing the Terry family, Catrin, John Powell representing Carol, Louise and Tom, Mike Hooper representing Dorothy and family, Martin Watts representing Watts family, Angie and Alan Wright, Valmai Powell representing John, Catrin and Sion, Di Evans representing Delice, Andrea, Peter and John, Irene and Ken Killingley representing Kath Kippax, Michael Tod representing the Tod family, Lorraine Wilson (nee Davies) representing Robert Willson Tredillion Scout Group, Matthew Bennett representing Ann Bennett and family, Jenny Peevord, Jim Beynon representing J Beynon, Edie and Jack; Scott Grant Crichton representing Dawn, Georgia and Conor, Lorraine Harris representing Jimmy and Lorraine Harris and family, Rupert Otten, Rachael Roger representing Abergavenny Museum and Father Ignatius Memorial Trust, Adam and Elizabeth T, Tim Davies, Andy, representing David and The Doheny, T Ellis, Sue Price (nee Watts), Carol Milington, Mrs Josephine Mary Bryant representing The Bryant family, Guy Parry representing Kathleen Parry, Martyn Davies representing Daphne Davies, Juliet Lang, Martin Watts, Michael Dobbs, H J Davies and Son Central Garage; Jenny Booth, Jocelyn and Michael Prys-Williams, Gareth Davies, Bill Garrett representing BBNP, Howard Morgan representing BBNP, Andrea Westlate representing WS and Dyers Crickhowell, Doreen Jones, David and Jean Jones, Pru Anthony, Wayne Barnes, Liz Barnes, Robin and Charlotte Cooke, Ian Harley, Dale Rogers, April Barnes representing BBNP, Susan Parker, Joe and Ruth Holloway, Martha and Dennis Gines, Joan Wheeler representing the Nuttgens family, Peter Morgan Jones, Elizabeth Wood, Gwyn Williams representing church choir, Chris Couling, representing Mike Couling, Chris, Robin and Greg, Glenys and Mike Wilks, E Johnston, Neil Millington, Jude Pepler, Mal Powell, Steve Pepler representing Iz, David and Chris, Sylvia Tod representing Sylvia, Richard and Nell Tod, Ben Cribb, representing Ben, Jo, Rachel, Sarah and Alice Cribb, Clare Celikyay, Katrina Gass representing Jeremy Gass, Liz Clarke representing John Clarke, Roger Stevens, Amy Davies, Lucy Davies, Jess Davies, Rachel Cribb, Sally representing Michael and Isabelle, Mary and Jessica, The Garage Capel-y-Ffin, Philip Chatfield, Bernard Watkins representing BBNP, Ruth Brown representing BBNP, John and Lucy Roots, Liz Gwillim representing Neil, Ean and Gareth Gwillim, John Sullivan representing Kelly and all at Vin Sullivans, Hugh Allan representing Rev Jeremy Dourding, Angela James, Teslin Davies representing Allun, Jessica, Amy and Lucy, Tony and Anne Barry representing all the Barry family, Pauline, Gill and family, Libby Richards, Fay Whitcombe representing Fay and Ron Whitcombe, Michael Brocklehurst representing Brocklehurst family, Gill Jones representing Crickhowell Spinners Dyers and Weavers, Kath Pritchard, Rhys and Judith Parry representing Audrie James, Richard and Brenda Bosanquet, Sandra, Joanne, Loretta representing Cantref, Anne Francis, Ann Powell representing Nic Peate, Steph Georgioa, Odette (Bernadette) Hutchinson representing Joey Storey, Jenny Bradley, Bez Harvey representing Helen Davies, Hayley, Felix, Gene and Milo representing all those from the Midlands, Jessica and Mary Griffiths representing The Garage Capel-y-Ffin, Liz Jones and Markus Blease representing The Jones family Pen-y-Dre Farm Llanfihangel, Ruth Meadows and David Bokley, Jessica and Mary representing John and Jessie Francis, Australia, Clare, Kate, Rick Shetan, Gill and Tom Skelton representing Amy Skelton and Gemma Skelton, Peter Skelton, Peter Evans, Stanley and Karol Knill, Brigid Malanati representing Miriam and Paul Williams, Mike and Liz Neal, Gill and Ieuan Davies, Jeanne McFarline representing family from York, Marie Bowkett, Caroline Genlineka, Dave Parkinson