Phil Day, a popular teacher at Shebbear in the 1950s and known throughout the school as ”Skip” for his leadership of the Senior Scout Troop, has died.

He was one of a group of young masters recruited by Jack Morris and taught French and English and later Physical Education.

He was a graduate of the University of Wales and also spent three years with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers.

He was married firstly to the sister of a Shebbearian.

Moving to Canada, he graduated again from the University of Toronto, before teaching at Appleby College. In 1989 joined the faculty of St Andrew’s College “with boundless energy, resolve and commitment”.

A short obituary on the St Andrew’s website said that he retired from teaching in 1994 and “will be remembered for his love of languages, rugby, travel and music.”

He died in January 2005, aged 76, after a long illness, and is survived by his second wife Sheryl, son Nigel and daughter Nicola and their children.