A "QUIET man" who touched the lives of many in Oxford has died. Joseph White, who was 93, lived in Cowley most of his life and was a master plumber.

Born in Cowley in 1912, Mr White grew up in Oxford. He was stationed in Malta and Gibraltar and was a flight sergeant during the Second World War. Upon his return he trained as a plumber and founded JJ White, a plumbing company based in Pony Road.

He was a city councillor for the Conservative party in Cowley during the 1950s.

His nephew, Kenneth Buckland, said: "He was a quiet man but he touched a lot of people's lives. He was very community spirited and he looked after people in his own way. He didn't believe in charity, he thought people should work for a living but if anybody needed help he would give it. He was very astute and had a really good sense of humour. He was the last bastion of the British Empire.

"He was a solitary man, never one for showing his emotions. But he was more than an uncle to me, he was a personal friend."

In his later years, Mr White lived in Littlemore. He leaves behind a brother and sister and four nephews.