A memorial service is to be held at Truro Cathedral for a much-loved schoolteacher and coach who inspired countless youngsters to take up sports, including Olympian sailor Sir Ben Ainslie.

Hundreds of ex-military and school colleagues, former pupils and players of cricket and hockey will gather at the cathedral to remember David Pierce on Friday at 1pm. A bugler will sound the Last Post.

David, who has died aged 95, continued to coach cricket every Saturday morning until COVID forced him to stop in 2020. He was fondly known as ‘King’, having told his pupils: “My name is Mr Pierce, but you may call me ‘King’.”

Born in 1929 in Norfolk, he attended the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, joining the Royal Welch Fusiliers and rising to the rank of Major. A keen sportsman, he played rugby, cricket and hockey for his regiment. He would serve in the British Army for 25 years, including helping to guard Nazi war criminal Rudolf Hess in Spandau Prison in Berlin.

David married Newquay hotelier’s daughter Jean Brewer in 1953, and they made their home at Wheal Frances, Perranzabuloe. From 1975 to 1995, David taught science and sport at Treliske School, an independent school for seven- to 11-year-olds, later re-named Truro Prep.

His talent for enthusing pupils from all walks of life in sport was legendary. Olympian gold medallist Ben Ainslie paid tribute: “He certainly was the one who inspired me to get into sports and fitness and all the rest of it. He was incredibly fit for his age, which was quite an inspiration ... Sports were a big part of the school that I went to and that was because of him - he drove that.”

David also spotted cricketer talent Laura Harper at Treliske, taking the bold and ground-breaking step of selecting her for a Cornwall Under 12 Boys tour to South Africa. Laura went on to play six test matches and 25 one-day internationals for England.

During his sporting prime, David captained St Newlyn East Cricket Club and was a combative player and much-valued administrator for Truro Hockey Club. He was prominently involved in gaining National Lottery grant funding for the construction of an AstroTurf hockey pitch at Penair School, which was vital to the club’s future.

His final years were spent in a care home at Perranporth, where he often received long-distance phone calls from Sir Ben Ainslie, who stayed in contact with him until the finishing line.

Mr Pierce is survived by daughter Chrissy, an acclaimed cricket artist; son Michael, who now lives in the USA; and grandsons Max and Oskar Kolk.

David Moses, on the Facebook group Anyone For Cricket Cornwall, said: “For those of us fortunate enough to have known him, David was an inspirational figure and has left an indelible mark on all our lives. The world of cricket and hockey in particular will be much the poorer for his passing.”