Basil Messer

BASIL Messer, a former Bradford GP from the earliest days of the National Health Service, and who was consort to his wife when she was the city's Lord Mayor, has died aged 89.

Dr Messer was originally from London and had been a consultant at the Central Middlesex Hospital before moving to Bradford shortly after his marriage, where he was in general practice in Undercliffe for a month

before the NHS started in July, 1948.

He had earlier returned from serving with the Royal Army Medical Corps in India.

He was known as a good, hard working doctor who was well respected by his patients.

He and his wife, Olive, lived above the practice until moving to

Shipley and opening a surgery there until he retired in 1980.

There was no doctor's receptionist in those days, so it was Mrs

Messer's job to fill the role while also running their home and looking after their two children.

She had lived in Canada with an aunt whose husband was a doctor and so knew what the life entailed.

Mrs Messer was elected as a Shipley councillor in 1968, becoming Lord Mayor in 1984. She was almost at the end of her civic year when the Bradford City Fire Disaster occurred in May 1985.

Dr Messer is survived by his wife, son, daughter, and two granddaughters.