IT WAS big news when it was announced that His Excellency the Emir of Tabaq was to open the church bazaar at Old Marston, Oxford.

Villagers were anxious not to miss the opportunity of welcoming such a distinguished visitor to their parish.

Even the Oxford Mail was determined not to miss such an important occasion, and despatched a reporter.

The Emir duly appeared in his colourful Middle Eastern robes and declared the bazaar open – only for him to be revealed later as the vicar’s nephew!

“It was only when he had gone that I realised that it was all taken so seriously,” the Rev Paul Rimmer admitted later, with a chuckle.

It was typical of the fun and laughter that he brought to Old Marston during his 31 years in charge at St Nicholas Church.

Mr Rimmer, who died in July aged 93, was well known for his sense of humour.

He recalled an occasion during his time as a curate when he visited a man who had had a heart attack.

He sat heavily on the end of the bed which went through the floor, swinging the unfortunate patient at the other end high in the air.

It took four people to lower the patient and extricate the highly embarrassed clergyman from the debris.

Mr Rimmer also recalled an occasion when he was visiting the United States and had to fill in a form for a security check.

He was temporarily stumped when he reached the space for ‘employer’s name’, so he wrote ‘God’.

The mystified security officer told him she had never heard of a firm called G.O.D.

Mr Rimmer, the son of a clergyman, came to Old Marston in 1959 after working in the Lake District, the Isle of Man and in India.

He loved flying – he had trained as a pilot in the latter stages of the Second World War – and regularly flew a microlight. On one occasion, realising he was late for a service, he jumped aboard, landed in Old Marston and dashed into the church with a minute to spare.

After retiring in 1990, he and his wife Joan, former head of Iffley Mead School, Oxford, retired to Wolvercote.

One surprise in retirement was that he became a part-time actor, appearing as a vicar in a comedy film with John Cleese and Eric Idle and with his wife as members of a congregation in a Channel 4 series.

After his death, St Peter’s Church at Wolvercote was packed for his thanksgiving service, with some people having to stand.

His popularity was summed up during the service by a quote from Richard Harries, former Bishop of Oxford: “Happiness? If you want to know what happiness is, go and visit Paul Rimmer.”

p Next week: Paul Rimmer’s views on stag nights