Tribute to brothers who died on same day

A WORTHING man has paid tribute to his two older brothers who died on the same day.

William, or Vic as he was known, and Jack Skelt, died on August 30 this year within 12 hours of each other.

Their brother, Richard Skelt, of Valencia Road, West Worthing, said the pair’s health had deteriorated suddenly, causing them both to be taken to Worthing Hospital, where they both died after stays of several weeks.

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Vic, 91, and Jack, 84, had been active in later life, with Vic learning to drive at 70 and Jack hitting a hole-in-one after taking up golf in his retirement.

In earlier life, the brothers, who lived in and around Worthing their whole lives, spent time in the Army.

While Jack was too young to be drafted into the Army during World War II, Vic served in the Royal Engineers in Alexandria, Egypt.

At the time, Vic and his girlfriend, Edith French, had a wartime romance which rivalled any fiction.

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Edith was kept in prisoner of war camps from the beginning of the war until it ended in 1945 after she was captured by Germans in France while working as a nanny for an American family.

The couple remained in contact with each other but could only exchange messages censored by the Nazis.

At the end of the war, the pair married and returned to Goring where Victor helped construct 12 self-build homes in Palatine Road as a plumber – one of which he lived in for the rest of his life.

After his national service between 1947 and 1949 in India, Jack returned to Worthing and became one of the founders of Wigmore Athletic football club, which later became Worthing United.

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He remained active in sport throughout his life, organising Wigmore cricket matches, as well as riding his bike, until he became ill.

Their brother, Richard Skelt, 78, said: “They were both good brothers and I always got on well with them. They’ll both be sadly missed.”

Jack and Vic are survived by Richard, and their sister Jean.