THE Oxfordshire photographer responsible for an iconic advertising campaign has died, aged 81.

One of the pictures Ernest Souch, the official photographer for Morris, was best known for was of a rolling Mini – which was used as the basis for a Kodak advert.

The grandfather-of-two died at the John Radcliffe Hospital, in Oxford, on Friday, July 16, after a heart attack.

Known as Ernie, he was the fourth of six children of Gilbert and Minnie Souch, born in New Yatt, near Witney, on January 26 1929.

Mr Souch attended St Mary’s School and The Batt School, in Witney.

In January 1942, he joined the Boys Brigade at the High Street Methodist Church, where he became a sergeant and earned badges for being a signaller and bugler.

His association with the brigade was to prove life-long and he was honoured at his funeral with a guard of honour formed by the Witney Boys Brigade Old Boys Association, of which he had been president.

While still at school, Mr Souch had part-time jobs making mattresses for Percy Applegate and washing bottles for Neville’s Milk dairy.

His first full-time employment was at Pressed Steel Fisher, in Cowley, making everything from armoured cars to shell casings.

He later found a job with Crawford Collets, in Witney, before being taken on as a trainee photographer at TM Newton Studios.

While doing his National Service, Mr Souch maintained his interest in photography, running camera clubs in his various postings.

After serving in Germany as a gunnery surveyor, Mr Souch returned to train TA gunners in Wales and to serve on artillery and air defences in Scotland.

During a demob photography course, he achieved a first-class pass in the Institute of British Photographers examination and returned to TM Newton.

He then moved to Shayler’s, in Carterton, and finally to Morris Motors and what became the BMC Photographic Unit.

While there he met and photographed world leaders including the Queen, Prince Charles and Margaret Thatcher, as well as actors and celebrities.

His most celebrated photo, of driver Malcolm Leggatt rolling his Mini Cooper at the Castle Combe circuit in 1977, was syndicated and published around the world.

When not busy taking pictures, with Tony Medley he founded the Witney and District Weight Lifting Gymnastic Club, notable for hand-balancing displays, pictured, at local fetes and carnivals.

He was gym and photographic instructor at the Witney Youth Club and later ran the Eynsham Youth Club.

In 1953, Mr Souch married Bette Davis and after 28 years of happy marriage, She died from breast cancer in 1981.

He later married Debbie Eaton, but the pair divorced and he met Betty Allsopp who he happily spent with the last 20 years of his life with.

The father-of-two was taken ill with haemolytic anaemia, which caused a fatal heart attack.

Mr Souch is survived by partner Betty, sons Tim and Steve, Steve’s wife Juliet, grandsons Keith and Ian, and brothers Harry and Charles.