Commodore Laurence Phillip Brokenshire CBE (20 October 1952 – 4 August 2017) was a Royal Naval officer, magician, and world-class puzzle solver.
He spent some time as Maths Instructor at HMS Fisgard, an Artificer apprentice training establishment, Torpoint, E. Cornwall.
[4] In later years, he commanded two shore establishments: firstly Northwood (1992–93) and later, as a Commodore, HMS Raleigh (2000–03) - the Navy's main Torpoint training centre - the family lived at nearby Trevol House.
[1] In 2003, on the occasion of his retirement, the family moved back to their house in Stubbington, Hampshire, and he was awarded a CBE for services rendered.
[5] Following the end of his Royal Navy career, Brokenshire was appointed as Commodore of the UK Sea Cadet Corps.
On one such visit to Essex, he met his 6th cousin and fellow Exeter-graduate, the local MP James Brokenshire (1968-2021), and remained in regular contact.
Brokenshire and his wife, Ethel, camped and bicycled the length of several continents to reach successive invitation-only annual International Puzzle Parties (IPP).
[9] Taking two bicycles, two panniers and a magic bag, they cycled and either wild-camped or stayed with friends along the Eastern coast of Australia, around the North Island of New Zealand, Japan, Europe and Scandinavia, and various routes across the US from Alaska to Washington, D.C. On one trip, Ethel automatically swatted a bear, which was nuzzling the side of their tent in the early hours of the morning, without suffering any ill effects.
Brokenshire married Ethel Isobel McMahon (born 1954) (WRNS) on 29 March 1980 at Clonallan Parish Church, with four children and several grandchildren.
His response was immediate and typically selfless - his family undertook a 30-mile crowd-sponsored sea swim off Plymouth in aid of various cancer charities, raising the targeted £30,000 in under three weeks, and in excess of £45,000 overall.
At Upton Court Grammar School, an OPA Memorial Prize for Yr 13 Mathematics is given annually in Laurie Brokenshire's name.