We are deeply saddened to announce the death of our father James Pierre Wilson, 91, who died in Arrowe Park Hospital on January 4th 2024.

 Jim was born on April 5th 1932 at 98 Beverley Rd, Hull, the son of James William Wilson and Margaret Wilson nee Pearson and younger brother to Beatrice (Bet).

 Known as Pierre in his younger years growing up in Hull he experienced the full force of World War 2 with Hull being the most damaged town or city in the UK with over 95% of houses affected. In future years he would always describe it in very practical terms as being the last place German bombers passed before heading back over the North Sea, so it was the last chance to drop any remaining bombs. Like every young boy he amassed a large collection of shrapnel playing out on the streets of Hull.

 In 1943 Jim attended Hymers College in Hull and following the untimely death of his father he was afforded a scholarship by the school that allowed him to complete his education there in 1951. At school Jim also acquired a new nickname, Brev, following an incident with his Latin teacher and the declension of the adjective brevis (short). At Hymers Jim played rugby, receiving full colours and was vice-captain of the first XV. He played a full role in the school cadet force, rising to the rank of _____. As a proud Yorkshireman and hailing from a rugby league family by the time Jim graduated from Hymers he was also a keen fan of Hull FC and Yorkshire County Cricket Club, attending games whenever he could.

 It was while at Hymers that Jim also learned the game of bridge, watching his mother and her friends playing. His love of the game only expanded as he attended Manchester University in 1951 to study Maths and Physics. He would proudly tell of all night Bridge games that inevitably lead to missing some of his lectures; “do I say, not as I do” was his advice to me in terms of attending my own lectures.

After graduating from Manchester University Jim did his National Service in the Army, serving in a Signals Corp based on Angelsey in Wales. He continued playing rugby representing the Army’s regional team and in the summers he umpired Services cricket matches across the country, more time umpiring meant less time working for Jim.

Returning to Hull in the latter part of the 1950s, Jim regularly represented Old Hymerians rugby team but also was lucky enough to meet Gillian Harrison, then an obstetrics nurse at the Hull General Infirmary. Jim courted Gill for quite some time, and they got married on the 9th of July 1959 at Kingston Memorial Methodist Church.

Now working for the Royal Insurance Company, Jim’s work took them first to the Wirral and quickly afterwards to Rochester in Kent from where Jim would commute to the London office. In 1963, a daughter, Janet, arrived but soon after the family would relocate back to the North-West for Jim to take on the role of Property Manager for the Royal’s head office in Liverpool. Roger & Steven soon expanded the family to five and in 1969 they moved to Glenavon Rd, Prenton where they brought up their family and lived through fifty-four more years of marriage. 

Jim took up golf and played off a true bandit’s handicap of twenty-four. In a regular pairing with Geoff Pemberton at Bidston GC they were regularly first off the tee on a Saturday morning and round in no more than two and a half hours. Jim was never one to linger over a shot and he was the most generous “giver” of putts I’ve ever seen.  From the age of 9, Jim took me out on quiet Sunday afternoons and taught me how to play the game but in the ensuing 50 years I never, ever beat him over 18 holes, I certainly tip my cap to him and his incredibly effective fairway woods.

Jim had hoped to be the longest tenured current member at Bidston having maintained his social membership to this day but sadly that wasn’t a handicapped round he could win.

Jim was very happy that on one trip back to Hull to see family he took the opportunity to go and watch Old Hymerians who were playing at home. A late cry off meant that Jim was offered some second hand kit and the opportunity to make his last appearance on a rugby pitch in the colours of his Alma Mater.

Jim’s love of bridge was nurtured over the years through games over lunch in the office and with friends socially, but he was able to fulfill his aspirations to play more seriously when he and long-time colleague Dennis Beecroft joined multiple local Bridge Clubs, sometimes playing 3 evenings a week. The Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge had pride of place on his bedside table and his membership of Bebington, Bromborough and Wallasey has provided him with endless pleasure and great friendships over the last 30-plus years of playing. 

 In 1987 Jim was diagnosed with multiple heart blockages and survived quintuple heart bypass surgery. Without that surgery we wouldn’t have had 36 more years of our Dad for which we are eternally grateful and we thank the doctors that helped him. Jim has always been very proud of our achievements and of his 7 grand-children and, as only a Yorkshireman could, told us all that “you’ve done well and raised good kids”….rare praise indeed.

We will always remember Jim wearing a collar and tie and a long-sleeved shirt, he jusidn’t feel comfortable any other way and only on a few rare occasions can I remember him ever rolling up his sleeves because you don’t get many days over 30C in Prenton. Most of our holidays took us to Yorkshire and occasionally to Wales or Scotland and maybe once or twice the tie would be dispensed with and sometimes even socks and shoes as well if paddling in an icy stream was ever called for.

Jim is survived by his wife Gill, children Janet, Roger and Steven and by his seven grandchildren; Anna, Emily, Isobel, Jessica, Abigail, Georgie and last but definitely not least a grandson, also James who will carry the Wilson name forward even if he wasn’t Yorkshire born. None of us may be bridge players but there’s plenty of time for his grandchildren to learn.

Jim’s funeral service will be held at Landican Cemetery at 2pm on Friday 16th February with a reception afterwards at the Little Fox in Thornton Hough