ONE of the great characters of the Yorkshire Dales has died at the age of 86.

Roger Murray was a wartime hero who became a legend of the racing world, a natural who had the love of horses in his blood.

As stud groom he worked with some of the great names of the sport, both four and two-legged, and he was among the best-loved characters in his adopted home town of Middleham.

"He was a marvellous character with a large fund of great stories to tell," said Raye Wilkinson, of the charity Racing Welfare, yesterday.

"He had seen the world and was a lovely man to sit and listen to. You really couldn't wish to meet a nicer man - and he will be sadly missed."

Mr Murray was born in County Roscommon, Ireland, and began his working life in 1932 at the Middleton Stud, later moving to the Aga Khan's Sheshoon Stud, in Ireland.

After four years there, war broke out and Mr Murray, even though he was from Eire, joined the Royal Air Force, becoming a navigator with Bomber Command.

On a mission over Holland his Lancaster was shot out of the sky and Mr Murray, a warrant officer, had to bale out.

He managed to avoid capture and set out on an extraordinary trek to freedom.

With the help of the underground movement he walked from Holland to Portugal - an epic journey that took six months to complete.

He then returned to flying and was sent to Burma, where a crash left him in hospital for ten months.

After the war he returned to his first love, and after a stint on Argentina's largest stud farm he went to Newmarket and then to the Cliff Stud, at Helmsley, North Yorkshire.

The 1957 Derby winner Crepello, Derby and St Leger victor St Paddy and Ascot Gold Cup winner Twilight Alley were among the horses he reared.

He was also a successful trainer and breeder of greyhounds, winning several major trophies.

In the early 1970s he returned to Middleham - his wife, Vivian's home town - to set up a farm.

Last year a race at Ripon was named in his honour, part of a series dedicated to the sport's unsung heroes.

Mr Murray was admitted to the Friarage Hospital, Northallerton, shortly before Christmas and died there on Tuesday morning.

He leaves a widow, four children and nine grandchildren. A private funeral is being held at East Witton today.