THE owner of what was Bradford's only army surplus store has died after a long battle with cancer aged 79.

Charles Summerscales ran Summerscales Army Surplus in Thornton Road, Fairweather Green, for about 30 years.

He had to sell family his business in May 2011 after being diagnosed with the illness.

The well-known shop even supplied schools with memorabilia to help children learn about the Second World War.

Mr Summerscales worked as a crane driver and a security guard before opening an Army surplus stall at Skipton market. As the business grew he opened the shop in Thornton Road.

His widow, Betty, 79, of Eldwick, Bingley, said family and close friends were "devastated" by his death on September 29, which came a week before he would have turned 80.

She said: "He had been battling cancer for a while, it started in his bowel and spread to his liver and lung.

"We are very upset by Charles' death, we have not told many people except close friends but everyone will be devastated at the news."

Mrs Summerscales said some of her fondest memories were of their many cruises and holidays together.

"We have been cruising all over the place," she said.

"We have been around the Caribbean, down the Panama canal, to Egypt and Jordan, around the Mediterranean, and even to America, Russia and China."

Mr Summerscales' daughter, Marilyn Waite said some of her best memories from her childhood were of family trips to Appletreewick in North Yorkshire.

She said: "We would all go for walks, and me and dad would spend hours rowing a small dingy in the river, then go foraging for sticklebacks and small fish.

"We used to go to the only no smoking pub in the UK at the time. Dad loved that it didn’t smell of tobacco smoke and he could have a pint without the dreaded fumes.

Mrs Waite said people would come from miles around to come and have a look at the shop.

"Everyone said it was like an Aladdin’s cave. It was always exciting when we came to unpack the stock we bought from the Ministry of Defence, because very often you didn’t really know what you would find.

"We had many collectors items over the years and all sorts of unusual stuff.

"A few television series, including Spooks, wanted to film in the shop but Dad always refused as he didn’t want his customers put out.

"It was a passion more than a job and he only retired when ill health got the better of him several years ago. But even then for quite sometime he continued to sell stock on eBay and became a dab hand on the computer."

Mr Summerscales' funeral will take place at Nab Wood Crematorium, Shipley, at 2.40pm on October 12 with an open invite to anyone who wants to pay their respects.