Senior member of Norfolk National Farmers' Union dies

One of the youngest members ever to lead Norfolk National Farmers' Union, Peter Savory, has died at the age of 92.

He was the first member of the Holt branch to preside at Agriculture House, Norwich, and later held some of the highest offices in the NFU.

A farmer's son, Mr Savory, who was born at Surlingham, near Norwich, was just 40 when elected in February 1958.

He went to Gresham's, Holt, and read economics at Queens' College, Cambridge, before training as a farm pupil at Mr A W Garrod's farm at Bintree, near Dereham.

He started farming at the age of 22 in the first year of the war and later built up a 700-acre enterprise at Saxlingham and also Church Farm, Field Dalling.

He was head warden of the ARP (Air Raid Precautions) at Holt during the second world war.

He ran a mixed farming enterprise, growing vegetables for the London market as well as a 40-cow herd of Dairy Shorthorns, which was later dispersed.

When elected as the county's leader, the branch had a record membership of 4,682.

He went on to hold top NFU posts including vice-chairman of the sugar beet committee in 1960 and then vice-chairman of cereals, becoming chairman in 1965. A year later, he was a member of the NFU's 10-strong cabinet to advise the newly-elected president, Mr G T Williams.

He remained active in NFU politics and served as county delegate in 1977, having been elected to the Home-Grown Cereals Authority in 1971.

A staunch pro-Common Marketeer, he enjoyed spring and summer holidays in the south of France.

Many years before it become popular, he had a house in the Dordogne and visited in May and September before the grape harvest.

In August 1959, Mr Savory survived an attempt on his life when a neighbouring farmer's son fired his .410 shotgun through the windscreen of his car, causing him slight injury. The man, who was later convicted, was sent to Broadmoor.

Mr Savory, who retired and sold his farm in the late 1970s, lived at Wood Dalling until his wife, Rosemary, died in about 2000.

He moved to Wiltshire to live near his younger daughter, Isabel. He leaves another daughter, Rachel and son, James.

A private cremation service will be held in Wiltshire. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, November 28 at St Margaret's Church, Saxlingham, near Holt, at noon.

Michael Pollitt