Late in the 1960s John Vivian limped into the Surrey Comet and asked the then editor, Brian West, for a job.

As was his custom, he had no socks, no tie, and wore a woolly hat jammed down on grizzled curls.

Mr West said: “On the face of it, he was a prospective employee best avoided, but something about him persuaded me to give him a chance, and he did not let me down. I still regard him as one of my greatest successes as an editor and employer.”

So began John Vivian’s career as the Surrey Comet chief sub-editor, which lasted some 26 years and made him a living legend to everyone who met him.

For, beneath that unconventional exterior – shirt open to the waist, arms heavily tattooed, woolly hat permanently in place – was a cultivated mind, stocked with an awesome knowledge of just about everything.

But what most impressed me, and all the other journalists who worked with him, was his awesome knowledge of English, his insistence on impeccable grammar and punctuation, and his brilliance as a headline writer.

Mr West said: “I thought I was a pretty good sub, but John was exemplary and his precision in casting off copy and writing headlines that always fitted, was never equalled by anyone who worked for me.”

Mr West’s views are shared by the two editors, Tony Thomas and David Wilson, who succeeded him during Mr Vivian’s time at the Comet.

Beyond the office John Vivian, always known as JV, was a rugby fanatic, who wrote up events for Esher Rugby Club and was fiercely loyal to what he regarded as his “home” team, Llanelli, where he was brought up and imbued with his strong Welsh accent.

Though a convivial drinking companion, with friends in Kingston, Richmond and Elmbridge, he would never speak of his personal life, or confirm the rumour that his limp came from injuries sustained during active service with the Special Air Force (SAS) during the Malayan Campaign in the 1950s.

He left the Comet after its takeover by Reed Elsevier in 1993, and joined the Surrey Herald in Chertsey.

Later he moved to the Informer newspaper group in Hounslow, where he worked until he was 69.

John Vivian died of kidney failure at St Helier Hospital, Carshalton, on November 8, aged 76.

He leaves a widow, Rosaleen; a daughter, Caroline, by his first marriage; and three granddaughters.

His funeral will be held at Randalls Park Crematorium, Randalls Road, Leatherhead, on November 23 at 12.30pm.

Donations to the renal unit at St Helier, or flowers, can be arranged through funeral director Frederick W Chitty and Co. Call 01932 254 255.