Popular Shropshire historian who was 'a walking encyclopaedia on Shrewsbury' has died at 77

David Trumper, who was "like a walking encyclopaedia on Shrewsbury" and had "probably the biggest" private collection of historic photographs of Shropshire, died on Wednesday this week after falling ill.

The retired schoolteacher wrote more than 20 books about local history and was a major contributor to the Shropshire Star's nostalgia pages over the years.

His daughter Vicki Powell said: "He hadn't been in the best of health but it was a bolt out of the blue.

"He was kind, he was funny. He used to make us laugh. He was renowned for talking to people he didn't know as well. He just had a way with people.

"You couldn't go up town with him because you'd never get anything done. You'd be walking up Pride Hill and stopping every two paces because there would be someone he'd know. People just liked him."

David was born in Shrewsbury and raised in Frankwell. He went to St George's Primary School in Woodfield Road and Meole Brace Secondary School before going to Shrewsbury College to do his O-levels.

He did an apprenticeship in printing and worked in the industry for a few years before qualifying as a teacher.

He taught at Cleobury Mortimer Primary School and Greenacres Primary School in Shrewsbury, but he spent most of his teaching career at Ladygrove Primary School in Dawley, Telford, where he became deputy head.

Alongside his day job, David also had a passion for local history and began to amass his enormous collection of old pictures.

He penned many books over the years, mainly about the history of Shrewsbury, but also wrote about other areas including Telford, Oswestry and south Shropshire. He was in the process of compiling a book about the pubs of Shrewsbury when he died.

"As far back as I can remember he was very into his history," Vicki said. "He was always doing talks to different groups. He started collecting pictures in the 1970s and it just snowballed. People used to just come to him and give him pictures all the time.

"He recorded everything meticulously. His knowledge was unbelievable. What he didn't know probably wasn't worth knowing."

Former Shropshire Star journalist Toby Neal worked closely with David for many years. He said: "He probably had the biggest private collection of photographs and information about Shrewsbury and Shropshire. He had a massive amount of stuff. He was like a walking encyclopaedia on Shrewsbury."

Phil Gillam, a Shrewsbury councillor and friend of David's, said: "He used to do these wonderful talks using his pictures and slides. His knowledge of Shrewsbury and Shropshire was incredible."

David married his wife Wendy in 1970 and they had daughter Vicki. He also had grandson Sam, 19, and 17-year-old granddaughter Alice.

"He loved going fishing with Sam," Vicki said. "My husband died in 2008 so he (David) was like a father figure to them (his grandchildren)."

As well as his beloved Shropshire, David also had a soft spot for Germany and would often visit the country, particularly the Heidelberg area where he had friends from a school exchange trip he went on in his teens.

"He loved that trip and remained friends with them ever since," said Vicki.

She added: "I would like to say the care he received at the end of his life was amazing. There was a nurse that stayed with him all the way to the end. The staff were fantastic. Me and my mum were there and they were really good to us.

"To us, he was a family man. He was just the best husband, dad and granddad."