A popular Island businessman has died, aged 96.

Walter Cheesbrough set up East Minster’s first supermarket, WF Cheesbrough and Sons, on the site of the old Sheppey Light Railway in Minster Road in 1967 with his wife Eileen and eldest son, Paul.

After the couple retired, the shop remained in their children’s hands until the family hung up its white coats in 2003.

County Durham-born Walter moved to London at the age of 16 when he saw a job advertised as a grocery delivery boy.

His first job was delivering ice and fish on a bike for £1 per week but he quickly moved through the ranks until his progress was halted by his service in the Second World War in 1939.

During the war he was stationed in the Orkneys as a signals team leader, training others and developing new methods of securely passing information to troops.

Before D-Day his team was charged with sending out false communications to mislead the Germans.

In 1965 he decided to set up his own business and moved to Sheppey in 1966.

He met Eileen while they both worked at Cooper’s store in Sunbury in 1938 and they married in 1942.

Until her death three years ago, they enjoyed 70 years of marriage, having four children – Paul, who passed away last year, Graham, Creig and Marian. They also had nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Mr Cheesbrough, a devout Catholic, was also an avid Chelsea FC fan and passed on his passion to his sons.

His son Creig said: “He was a man of honour and integrity, a man who never had a bad word to say about anyone else, a man of high moral standing and a great sense of fairness.”

The funeral was held on Friday.