Mike Watkins, the man who brought Linpac packaging company to Devizes and created hundreds of jobs in the area, died peacefully at home on May 10 after a long battle with cancer.

Mr Watkins was born on January 10 1934 and joined the Great Western Railway in Plymouth at the age of 16. His father, Thomas Watkins, was Lord Mayor Plymouth.

Shortly afterwards he transferred to Swindon Railway Works where he did a five-year apprenticeship with the company, working on steam engines. To complete his engineering degree, he joined the Merchant Navy, as opposed to the Royal Navy, when he was due to do his National Service.

After leaving the Merchant Navy, he joined the paper giant Bowater and made many trips to Nova Scotia, Canada, where he met his first wife, Janet, the mother of his two sons, Christopher and Timothy.

On leaving Bowater in 1961, he joined Linpac, the packaging company based in Louth, Lincolnshire, founded by Evan Cornish in 1959. In 1969 Mr Watkins visited Devizes looking for a parcel of land to build a new factory to produce corrugated boxes for the retail packaging industry.

The timing was impeccable, as Devizes was losing employment in the armed services.

With the support of local councillor Dick Breach, Mr Watkins got planning permission for his scheme and the company, now D S Smith Packaging, continues to be one of the biggest employers in the town.

Mr Watkins had a distinguished career with the Linpac company. Besides being a hands-on boss, he was a people person, always ready to listen to problems and lend a hand on the factory floor.

He later became director of engineering and technical services for the Linpac group and became highly respected in his field by competitors and suppliers alike all over the world.

He met his wife, Sue and her son Robin in 1994, on Mr Watkins’ 60th birthday. They married on June 21 1997. On his retirement at the age of 70, Mrs Watkins persuaded her husband to become involved with his second love, steam engines.

As a former employee at the Swindon Works, his name was added to the list of other employees on the Wall of Names. He became a volunteer librarian at the STEAM railway museum in Swindon where his encyclopedic knowledge was greatly respected.

He leaves his wife, Sue, sons and grandchildren Poppy, Scarlett and Isabella.

Steve Hinton, managing director of DS Smith Packaging, said: “If it wasn’t for Mike, we wouldn’t have had Linpac. Devizes has got a lot to thank him for.”