Edward John Bence (66-70) died of a brain tumour at home in Devon on June 8th, 2026. He was 74. He leaves a loving wife Sarah, a daughter Lucy and a son Edward.

Known to many as Eddie, he was born in Walsall in the West Midlands in 1952 and arrived at the Nautical College for the Lent term 1966 from Hallfield prep school in Edgbaston, Birmingham. A member of Harbinger division and Form VI, he coxed the 3rd VIII in 1968 and was in the Band playing the bugle. He left at the end of the summer term 1970 to pursue “further education for the Royal Navy” according to The Log.

That plan changed and he decided instead to go into the hospitality business, training at the South Devon College  where he met his wife to be and landed his first job afterwards at the well-known Imperial Hotel in Torquay. Subsequently he progressed upwards through the management chain first at Cavendish Hotel in London, then as Manager of the Palace Hotel in Torquay before returning to the Imperial Hotel as Resident Manager.

In the late-1980s he set up a consultancy with a partner running distressed hospitality businesses across the south of England until they could be sold on. The Berry Head Hotel came up for sale in 1994, and he decided to take it on himself with his partner and his wife Sarah, a qualified chef. Built during the Napoleonic wars as a military hospital and set on a headland overlooking Brixham with spectacular sea views from its terrace, the Berry Head hotel opened in 1949 but had fallen on hard times. When the Bences took over it had just eight members of staff, six letting bedrooms, six derelict bedrooms and five tin baths used to collect water from a leaking roof.

Gradually, through hard work and commitment, the couple turned the establishment around. Profits were re-invested and by the early 2000s it had become a 4-star establishment patronised by well-known personalities and employing 65 people. A new top floor, a swimming pool and a spacious function room had been added turning it into a 32-room establishment. Most recently, five purpose-built apartments opened in the grounds. A second hotel, too, had been purchased – the 37-bedroom Hannafore Point in Looe, Cornwall.

In a Tribute given at Edward’s funeral on July 8th at All Saints church, Brixham, his son Edward said: “Dad never chased accolades. He always said that the biggest accolade is people returning and being busy. He lived by the mantra that we are just caretakers of Berry Head. He never lost his humour, his sense of adventure and his can-do attitude.”

In 2017 the hotel’s transformation was given the royal seal of approval when it played host to a global conference on sustainable fishing sponsored by the Prince’s Trust and attended in person by Prince Charles. A photo shows Edward greeting the prince at the entrance to the hotel proudly wearing his OP tie. A loyal Old Pangbournian, he regularly attended OP Dinners, took part in OP marchpasts and also hosted a number of OP events at the hotel including a memorable centenary reunion lunch in 2017 attended by 80 OPs and their partners.

Julian Wiggin (66-69), who enjoyed a friendship with Eddie going back 67 years to pre-prep schooldays in the West Midlands, represented the OP Society at the funeral and gave a Tribute. He writes: “During the years 1959-66 we formed a strong friendship as did both our sets of parents. There were school runs to Hallfield, packing many boys into various parents’ cars! We even formed a band, putting on one performance in front of the whole school. This was observed by a disapproving headmaster with a face like thunder! Outside school we enjoyed watching football at Walsall, go karting and sailing together at Chasewater reservoir. So many memories...In recent years we enjoyed many visits to Berry Head to see Edward, Sarah and the family.”

Beyond work, Edward loved football all his life and helped to re-form Brixham Town FC as well as belonging to supporter groups of professional clubs such as Walsall, Torquay and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Sailing was another enduring passion. He owned a number of boats, crossed the Channel in them many times (sometimes wearing a dinner jacket after leaving Brixham harbour in the middle of the night following a local function) and was a skilled navigator. A third passion was classic cars; a succession he owned testified to his belief that they were the most reliable cars on the road.

Tributes flooded in following his death. In a statement the Brixham Chamber of Commerce declared: “He was known not only for his professional achievements but also for his dedication to local causes and his generosity, wisdom and willingness to help others.” At Brixham Town AFC the club flag flew at half-mast. Donations also poured into a website set up in his memory. One donor described him as “a truly wonderful man who lit up any room he was in.” Others labelled him as “talented” “hard-working” and “kind-hearted” – “such a gentleman and an industry pro through and through.”