Those of you who have attended Maritime Festivals in the UK will, no doubt, have come across Des - one of the foremost ship-bottlers in the country. He worked at the Maritime Museum in Liverpool for many years and only retired a few years ago. He continued to visit festivals, demonstrating his craft and was an excellent raconteur and a genuinely lovely man.

Sadly, he lost a long battle to cancer, at the weekend. More information, as it becaomes available, will be posted on Bitter End's website, at http://www.shanty.co.uk