Roger Underhill died on 24 May 2026 after a short illness.
Born in Bristol in 1940, he grew up and trained as an accountant in Taunton. Following a successful career in industry he settled back in Bristol. He was a volunteer with the West Somerset Railway for 25 years and a member of Keynsham and Saltford Local History Society for many years.
Roger was our Treasurer from 2019 to 2026. He always carried out his duties as Treasurer efficiently and diligently. He was a safe pair of hands. From 2019 until this year he steered the society’s finances. When he took on the role in 2019, the available funds stood at £12,000. They have now grown to £22,000. Roger was also a BACAS Trustee from 2022.
Near the start of 2025, Roger informed the committee that he would be 86 next year and he wished to stand down as Treasurer at the 2026 AGM. It was typical of Roger that he should give us so much notice and allow us time to try and plan for a replacement. John Richards took on the Treasurer post in March.
Roger’s good friend, Roger Wilkes, remembers: “Although we were neighbours for over 50 years we only started walking together about 30 years ago. Since then I introduced him to various BACAS activities and encouraged him to join and take on the treasurer’s job, which he did at a crucial time! To tell us apart, I was ‘Young Roger’ and he was ‘Old Roger’.
“Old Roger always enjoyed joining Young Roger on excursions and doing geophysics – he also acted as a liaison with BRLSI for booking the meeting room up to two years in advance! He was very moved to be given the Clive Peacock Award earlier this year.”
Lectures and Excursions Organiser, Tim Lunt, says “I was always impressed by Roger’s attention to detail with the accounts, the commitment to door duty for lectures and his determined requirement on me to provide the list of excursion participants in order to maximise gift aid!”
At the AGM this year, Roger received the Clive Peacock Award for his service to the society. One of his great interests was vintage trains, so it was appropriate that his book prize was G A Richardson’s Somerset & Dorset Line.
There will be no funeral or memorial service because Roger had arranged (typically!) for a simple cremation. His friends and family are celebrating his life in their own ways.