Tributes have been paid to an inspirational, hardworking, and straightforward father and politician from Bracknell.
Friends and family members have reacted to the death of George Bayle, a father and long serving Labour councillor on Bracknell Forest Council.
Mr Bayle died peacefully aged 85 at Glebelands Care Home in Wokingham on September 8.
He has been remembered as hardworking and straightforward by his daughter, and an ‘inspirational’ figure by a fellow member of the Bracknell Labour Party.
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Roy Bailey, the chairman of the Bracknell Labour Party who lives in Crowthorne said: “He was quite a remarkable character.
“He was a leading light, one of those inspirational characters. He was outstanding at organisation. He always made sure we had the resources so we could fight the best possible campaign.
“He inspired people everywhere he was. He could be cantankerous, he had a warmth to him. If someone called out for help he was the first person there.
“I didn’t see him much outside of politics, it almost becomes 24/7 at this level. Our paths would pass quite often in the ringer of politics.
“George, Mary Temperton, Clive Urquhart, Dick Smith and Ann Shillcock were the people who got Bracknell Labour going.”
Bracknell Labour’s greatest height was reached in the 90s, when they controlled Bracknell Forest Council for two years from May 1995 until May 1997.
Mr Bailey added: “As a councillor, he was knowledgeable, authoritative, and got things done. He could argue authoritatively about any subject. He had little time for Tories, and he didn’t hold back.
“He was a stand out character, he really was.”
Mr Bailey, a retired police officer, first met George when he left the force in 1996.
He has paid tribute to Mr Bayle on his Facebook page, recounting a trip canvassing in Crowthorne.
Mr Bailey’s post states: “George was knowledgeable, articulate, and driven but when he was confronted by bigotry and racism, he could get quite explosive.
“This was precisely what happened that night. Fortunately, I was only a few yards away when the exchange between him and the voter began.
“I literally had to remove George from the doorstep to prevent any further escalation. We chuckled about this incident long afterwards.”
Mr Bailey added that George “hated injustice”.
Mr Bayle is survived by his wife Marian, and son and daughter James and Christine.
His daughter Christine Bayle, 52, from Priestwood in Bracknell said: “He was hardworking, straightforward, a family man who enjoyed his gardening, activism in the Labour party and all sorts of things.
“He was heavily involved in the Twinning Association, making sure that we are making things better for everybody and not going to repeat the sins of the past, and making sure we understand the Germans and develop friendships with them.
“He loved going to Cyprus. We started going there when we were young.”
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She added her father enjoyed regular trips to Leverkusen in Germany in his role as a member of the Bracknell Twinning Association. A photo shows George holding a sign with Michael Gutbier from Leverkusen, which would eventually be placed in the German town.
The funeral for Mr Bayle will be held at 1.30pm on Thursday, September 30, at the Easthampstead Crematorium in South Road, Bracknell.
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