Family and friends have paid tribute to Allan Meager, the former secretary of the Oxfordshire Campaign for Nuclear Disarm- ament.

Born in May 1938, in Northchurch, Hertfordshire, Mr Meager studied interior design at the Northern Polytechnic in London.

It was there he met his wife Mollie, who became one of the women activists camped outside the US nuclear missile base at Greenham Common, near Newbury, in the 1980s.

A keen musician, he played in jazz bands and on river boats on the River Thames.

The couple had three sons Joseph, Miles and Paul. Joseph died in 2004.

They decided to leave London in the mid-1960s as Mr Meager, being a lover of all things natural, wanted to be surrounded by countryside and move to Oxfordshire.

Mr Meager became involved with CND after joining a peace camp protesting against the basing of nuclear bombers at the US base at Upper Heyford in 1968.

His friend David Gill said: "His caravan was stood on an unused bridlepath between hawthorns and apple trees.

"There was no electricity and no water. For cooking and heating you had to use gas, and drinking and washing water involved a two-mile round trip to a public tap in Lower Heyford."

The caravan, named The Peace And The Spirit, is on display at the Peace Museum, in Bradford.

In 1996 Allan became the secretary and treasurer of the Oxford CND, directing operations at their offices, first in the Old Jam Factory and later at Northgate Hall, in St Michael's Street.

Over the past two years of his life he devoted much of his time to looking after his ill brother in Kent, while trying to fulfil his obligations to CND.

After falling ill himself, he died on March 11, at the John Radcliffe Hospital. He leaves his two surviving sons and four grandchildren.

His son Miles said: "He was a modest and humble man who never liked to cause any trouble."