RENOWNED town blacksmith and long-time owner of the Farnham Forge in Upper Church Lane, Arthur Trussler, has died aged 81.

Arthur was born at his family home in Charles Hill, Elstead, on November 30, 1935, the second of three sons to parents Harry and Kathleen Trussler - the then-caretakers of Elstead Village Hall.

His family owned almost an acre of land next to The Donkey pub, and in his childhood Arthur would help his father plant the land with an array of vegetables as well as keeping chickens and rabbits.

However, this grew in Arthur a lifelong dislike of gardening, and on at least one occasion he skipped school to avoid a ‘communal gardening day’ - only to be caught watching his school chums toil away from atop a tree on Bonfire Hill.

In 1950, Arthur’s father was elected chairman of Elstead Parish Council, and his younger brother Len recalls many happy days spent walking the footpaths of the village ensuring they were well-maintained.

Len also recalls his brother was a “very strong fellow”, and put this strength to good use at an early age - taking a job with Ellis’s Dairy while still at school and helping lift heavy milk churns on and off a flatbed lorry during the company’s milk rounds.

Arthur left St James’ C of E School aged 14, to train as a blacksmith in Puttenham. However, after his would-be-mentor was hit in the eye by a fragment of hot metal and blinded, he instead began an apprenticeship at the Farnham Forge in Upper Church Lane.

There he remained, training under the forge’s owner Walter Moseley, until his National Service call-up in 1955, aged 18.

Arthur’s strength again came to the fore during two years’ service with the Royal Air Force, as he was tasked with lugging bombs and ammunition around the home of Britain’s V-bomber force, RAF Waddington.

Leaving the RAF in 1957 without once having taken flight, Arthur returned home to Surrey and took a job with Vokes of Normandy in 1957 as a welder. It was here that he met his future wife Thelma.

The couple married on October 14, 1961, at St Paul’s Church, Tongham, with Arthur’s younger brother Len stepping in as best man after his older brother Harry had emigrated to Tasmania some years earlier.

Arthur and Thelma bought a house in south Farnborough - where they remained for the rest of their lives - and their first daughter Carolyn arrived in 1967, followed by Susan a year later.

Soon after their marriage, Arthur returned to the Farnham Forge to again work under Walter Moseley, and in 1974 he took over the business - later working with Bill Theobald for many years.

Arthur became renowned for his bespoke firebaskets, railings and gates and put his hand to fixing any metal items brought into him. People would come from miles around to buy his metal art, and he was well known for crafting the ornate iron ship adorning the outside the former Mariners pub on the A287 in Frensham.

He would go on to run the forge until taking a well-deserved retirement in 1998, after which the building passed into to the ownership first of a food photography company and most recently Abode Architects, which won a Waverley Design Award for its restoration of the Grade II listed building in 2015.

Arthur’s wife Thelma sadly passed away in September 2000, but he continued to live in Farnborough enjoying his retirement, still tinkering in his garage, making and fixing things - including a new stable block for his daughter Carolyn.

He was a great lover of motorcycles throughout his life, racing around on various Bantams, Ariels and Nortons in his younger days. He also enjoyed many trips deep sea fishing, and was keen on judo and darts.

Later during his retirement Arthur enjoyed the company of friends at the Farnborough Bowls Club and would also enjoy watching Moto GP and Formula 1 with his son-in-law, Phil.

He was well known for his cheeky sense of humour - although brother Len conceded he was “a bit rumbustious at times” adding it sometimes took a while for people to warm to him.

Arthur passed away in hospital on January 12 and leaves behind his two daughters Carolyn and Susan, son-in-law Phil, and younger brother Len. His older brother Harry passed away a few years ago.

His funeral will take place at Aldershot Crematorium on Tuesday, January 31, at 11.30am, followed by a gathering at The Princess Royal, Runfold. Family flowers only, donations to Great Western Hospital Swindon.