A MUCH-LOVED charity worker, who was honoured with an MBE, has passed away peacefully at the Macmillan unit in Christchurch.

Anthony Harrington, known as Tony, was born on July 10, 1927 in Bootle, Liverpool. His father ran a pub near the Bootle docks which became an important social point during the war. The Second World War profoundly influenced Tony as a boy and paved the way for his passion for aviation. After war ended Tony served as a RAF wireless operator in Norfolk and volunteered for a potato harvest camp holiday in Staffordshire in 1948, leading to a chance encounter with his future wife Joan.

The couple married in 1953 and would have celebrated their 60th diamond anniversary this year.

After the RAF, Tony’s chosen career in aviation attracted him to several jobs supporting the early development of British aircraft. He was initially a design engineer with Fairey Aviation, working on the Fairey Delta and Rotadyne, and then transferred to Vickers Armstrong, focusing on the Vickers Viscount and VC10.

His final noteworthy engineering jobs were at the British Aircraft Corporation working as a draughtsman in the design office of the BAC1-11, and then with Royston Instruments on the early development of the first flight data recorders.

In the 1970s Tony began working for American companies specialising in the disposal and sale of assets from operators like Pan Am and Eastern Airlines. He ended his professional career with his own business performing the same function in aftermarket commercial aviation. In retirement Tony found peace. He was devotedly catholic and embraced charity work, inspiring, assisting and nurturing good causes with humility.

He was deeply moved by the plight of orphan children in Africa (Kabanana Trust) yet also supported Bournemouth’s own less fortunate (Michael House).

Known for his positive energy and ability to inspire and lift the spirits of any sized audience, Tony was well travelled.

But he was happiest in the Purbecks and Cotswolds where he enjoyed the rural tranquility with his beloved Joan.

The charismatic husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather died on January 8, surrounded by the love of his family, and will be deeply missed by all who knew him. His funeral service was held at Corpus Christi Church in Boscombe on January 22.