TRIBUTES have been paid to a ‘kind man of great integrity’ known for his generosity.

Peter Barrett, who was well known in Weymouth for running the Treasure Chest curiosity shop in East Street, passed away on October 2 at the age of 81.

Family and friends said he had a varied and interesting life and travelled the world.

Born in 1929 in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, to a mining family Mr Barrett left school at about 14 and went to work down the coal mines.

He joined the Royal Navy at 15 and became a clearance diver, clearing mines and ordnance.

After the war he helped to clear torpedoes and other ordinance from the beaches of the UK.

He and his wife Sheila and had five children, nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

He was posted to Singapore and Portsmouth and spent long periods of time at sea on various ships, before leaving the navy in 1968.

The family moved to Weymouth and Mr Barrett opened the Treasure Chest in 1969.

He retained his close ties to the Navy for the rest of his life and was part of the service’s association for clearance divers. He was also a regular at the RAF Association club in Weymouth.

Wendy Payne was Mr Barrett’s partner for the last 20 years and the couple used to enjoy driving around the Jurassic Coast and exploring new places.

His daughter Tracey Mercer said he was a wonderful family man.

She said: “He loved his family and was a great family man. He kept himself to himself and was a private man, but he was really generous and kind.”

She added: “He was very brave and was a kind man of great integrity and great generosity. He was always helping others.”

She added that her father loved Dorset and Weymouth and hardly went abroad after leaving the Navy saying ‘Why would I want to leave such a beautiful place?’ The family said that Mr Barrett was a great magician and used to entertain his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren for hours, pulling coins from their ears and baffling them with card tricks.

The Treasure Chest will be closing down on November 21.