THE longest-serving publican in Worcestershire, John Barker, has died aged 83.

Mr Barker served behind the bar at the Swan Inn, Alfrick, until his retirement in August, 1997.

His unbroken service of nearly 50 years behind the pumps was also believed to have been a record for the West Midlands.

John Barker was born in Battersea, London, to the son of a sporting journalist and a nurse working on luxury liners. During the 1930s he went to live with his grandmother, who was publican at The Crown Inn, Martley, near Worcester.

As a young man, he held various jobs, running a taxi business and then working at a garage in Lowesmoor, Worcester.

During the Second World War, he served in the Home Guard and was also seconded to an elite resistance group in the county that was to have staged a last-ditch stand against Hitler's forces, had the Germans invaded.

This organisation would have been the equivalent of the French Maquis.

Married

Mr Barker married his wife Joan in 1947 at Knightwick Church, and, for a short time, the couple lived at the Talbot Hotel in the village.

He took over the tenancy of the Swan at Alfrick on May 17, 1948.

Mr and Mrs Barker soon fully immersed themselves in village life. Over the years they raised thousands of pounds for cancer research, hosting harvest auctions, staging bonfires in the field behind the pub, and organising various other forms of fund-raising.

The Swan soon became famed as a centre for cricket matches, tug o' war contests, air rifle shooting and darts matches.

Mr Barker was also a follower of harness racing and probably one of the longest-serving beaters with local pheasant shoots.

He not only helped to flush the birds, but was also tasked with the job of picking up the spent cartridges.

Until the hop industry in Worcestershire was fully mechanised in the early 1970s, the Swan was a mecca for itinerant pickers, mainly from the Black Country. Some camped in nearby Leigh, but others would return year after year to stay in the pub field.

Mrs Barker died in 1985.

In latter years, Mr Barker and his only daughter Diane hosted a monthly musical night called Club Rococo, compered by Evening News columnist John Phillpott.

Renowned

Diane Barker is a renowned artist, photographer and writer who has travelled extensively in Tibet, chronicling the life of its inhabitants.

She was at her father's side when he died in the early hours of Friday, August 13, at the Alexandra Hospital, Redditch.

The funeral service will take place on Friday, August 27, at St Mary Magdalene Church, Alfrick, followed by cremation at Astwood Road Crematorium.

A celebration of John Barker's life will take place later at the Talbot Hotel, Knightwick.