Bertie Shiebert was born 18 July 1926 and dead  15th May 2016 at the age of 89.

He was born in London of Jewish parents who had moved here from Poland. His given name was Herbert but he was known by many as Bert. Within the bridge community he came to be referred to as Bertie following various references to Burlington Bertie from Bow - a fictitious Music Hall character who was the subject matter of songs and who enjoyed life to the full.

He is survived by his wife Irene whom he met in 1947 and with whom he remained besotted for the 65 years of their marriage. They have two sons: David, a partner of a firm of solicitors based in St Albans and Steve who has established a substantial residential property portfolio in Luton. Their daughter Susan died tragically in 1999.

Following his schooling in London he was called up for the army. An opportunity arose and he volunteered for the Signals Corps, assuming that this was a cushy number, only to discover the inherent dangers of the role. Bertie worked as a diamond polisher, he was involved in the hat trade and then as a tallyman before entering into the world of property sales and establishing his own Estate Agency business of Shiebert & Co in Luton.

Bertie had many recreational pursuits. He was a skilled snooker player, a keen fisherman and a bandit golf player - but the great love of his life was bridge. He joined the Bedfordshire Bridge Association in the mid-sixties and recorded many triumphs at local, county and national level.