Frederick Walker, known to his friends as Fred, passed away in March 2010 after a short illness aged 84.

After leaving school at the age of 13 to work, he enlisted in the army and at the age of 19, landed on Anzio, Italy.

After the war, Fred married and went to work for the rest of his working days for Hewitt’s Brewery.

He was a keen sportsman and ran his own five-a-side football club for 40 years - joining in with the fun right into his late 70s.

One of the club’s former members, David Saville, said: “I got to know him by joining his five-a-side club that I attended at the Havelock School for over 20 years.

“I know that he started the club when he was 39 and ran it every Thursday night for over 40 years.

“In all those years he never missed a night - even when his wife Rita was desperately ill she made him go knowing how reliable he was.”

David added: “I consider myself to be an ordinary man - I think that Fred Walker was an extraordinary man who will be missed by many.

Meanwhile, members of the area’s writing fraternity have added their voice to the tributes, describing him as a ‘remarkable person and incredible writer.’

During his years, Fred was a keen member of the Grimsby Writers Club, with about 200 of his short stories going to print..

Chairman of the group, Ron Geddes, of Abbey Park Road, said that he will be sorely missed by the members.

“Fred really was a remarkable person and a very talented writer. He could write about absolutely anything and never wrote a bad story - he was incredible.

“He was well-liked and respected by every member of the club. You could always rely on Fred, he was always there and very supportive of everyone. He will be sorely missed.”