An amateur diver and author made a career of restoring artefacts from local wrecks.

William “Billy” Gillies always liked to swim but took his first dive in 1965 when he was 35 after his wife, Gloria, suggested he find a hobby.

Mr Gillies started out exploring marine life while diving but developed a decades-long passion for shipwrecks after he found an old bell in one.

He documented each of his dives in journals, although eventually he had to stop diving after undergoing heart surgery.

Mr Gillies used resin and fibreglass to restore pieces of artefacts from wrecks and kept the most interesting finds in his home.

Other restorations are displayed at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute and National Museum of Bermuda.

Philippe Rouja, custodian of wrecks for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, worked with Mr Gillies for years.

He said: “Mr Gillies pioneered techniques of restoration and conservation and was the go-to guy for delicate restoration projects.

“He took artefacts as old as you can find in Bermuda and put them back together.”

Discussing his book Reefs, Wrecks & Relics in 2007, Mr Gillies said: “I thought the story of what had been done on the wrecks should be told from [the divers’] side.”

He added: “When you think about diving in Bermuda, you think about Teddy Tucker and Harry Cox but there are others you never hear about. I wanted to mention everybody that I could think of who contributed on the boat and also people who did not dive with me but who had good collections and found completely different things.”

Dr Rouja, who appeared with Mr Gillies in PBS NewsHourand LookBermuda’s The Riddle of the Crest, said: “Billy represented that people who collect are not in it for profit but for the pleasure of doing it and to preserve our history. He shared it with anyone who would come and ask.

“Dozens of significant archaeologists, historians and people with a love of Bermuda and passion for history all went to Mr Gillies with questions.”

He said Mr and Mrs Gillies, who were married for 70 years, were a lovely couple who always made him feel welcome in their home.

He explained: “I was always offered a sandwich, banana or drink — that’s old-style Bermuda.

“They had a warmth that was subtle and not big and brash, but very genuine.”

William “Billy” Gillies, an amateur diver and restorer of shipwreck artefacts, was born on March 12, 1930. He died in 2025, aged 95