A former chief inspector of Witney police has died aged 92. Eric Smith was described by family, friends and colleagues as “a gentleman and a gentle man”. Mr Smith passed away at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford on January 3, after suffering pneumonia.

Born in Hertfordshire in 1916, Mr Smith joined the Berkshire Constabulary in 1939. While working in Maidenhead he met future wife Beryl while directing traffic.

In 1941, the couple married at St Mark’s Church in Maidenhead.

They then moved to Abingdon to start a family and had two sons, Godfrey and Stephen.

Mr Smith, who was a police officer in Abingdon, started the first St John Ambulance division in the town. After a few years in Abingdon, he was promoted to sergeant and the family moved to Wallingford in the early 1950s. In 1957, he was promoted to inspector and moved to Wantage where he remained for ten years.

Mr Smith’s final promotion was to chief inspector in Witney. He retired to Elswith Close, in Grove, in 1977.

Mr Smith had only been in hospital twice.

The first time was when he got run over three days before his wedding. He broke his arm and leg, but discharged himself so he could get married. The second time was when he fell off a ladder and spent a night in hospital with concussion.

Mr Smith had three grandchildren — Graham, 33, Julie, 31, and Matthew, 14.

His wife died in 2002.

It was shortly after her death that he developed Alzheimer’s disease.