The Daily Telegraph from London, Greater London, England • 25

THE DAILY TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013 25 Obituaries I Regina Resnik American mezzo whose Carmen was 'the real thing' and who once told an audience to shut up EGINA RESNIK, the American 90, great She became made Carmens her known 10, of who debut as Covent has one there of died Garden. in the aged that role alongside Jon Vickers as Don and Joan Sutherland (Micaela) under Rafael Kubelik in 1957, and was quickly described by the critics as "the real Her interpretation of Bizet's heroine was passionate and down to earth. "She looks the part to the life, the lustrous, lustful gipsy girl, primitive in her responses but by no means unintelligent in her approach to the opposite sex." one London critic when reprised the role, again with Sutherland, under John Matheson in 1958. Regina Resnik's career began in America during the Second World War, when she sang many of the leading soprano roles; but in the mid-1950s she realised that her voice was darkening, and retrained as a mezzo. In so doing she earned the distinction being one of the few artists to have sung both Aida and Amneris in Aida, as well as both Mistress Ford and Mistress Quickly in Falstaff.

Much of her career was spent at the Metropolitan Opera, where among her 328 performances in 39 roles she sang Ellen Orford in the New York premiere of Britten's Peter Grimes in 1948 and the Baroness in the world premiere of Samuel Barber's Vanessa a decade later. She later directed several productions, including Carmen at Hamburg (with Domingo), when she insisted on alternating casts singing French and German: she also appeared in a number of hit musicals, in notably as Mrs Schneider in Cabaret on Broadway in 1987, for which she won a Tony nomination. Regina Resnick (she dropped the at an early age) was born in the Bronx, New York, on August 30 1922, to impoverished 1 immigrants. At the age of 10 she volunteered to sing a solo in a concert at her local school. She was 13 when she took her first lessons, from Rosalie Miller, and soon afterwards won $10 appearing on Major Bowes's Original Amateur Hour on public radio.

When she was 16 her parents insisted that she turn down a scholarship to the Juilliard School of Music, choosing instead for her to study at Hunter College, where a degree in Music Education would provide an alternative income if her singing career faltered. Miller, who always declined to charge her students for lessons, introduced Regina Mike Borrow Regina Resnik with Boris Christoff during rehearsals for Boris Godunov at Covent Garden Resnik to the conductor Fritz Busch, and in 1942 he invited her to sing Lady Macbeth with the New York Opera Company. Two. years later, after working with Erich Kleiber in Mexico, she triumphed at an audition with the Met. She soon made her debut with the sing company Leonora by in stepping place in of at Zinka a day's Milanov notice ton Travatore.

Before long she was touring America, appearing with choral societies and giving recitals. It wasn't until 1953 that she appeared in Europe, singing Sieglinde in Die at Bayreuth under Clemens Krauss, who first suggested that she might be more suited to the mezzo roles. Within two years she was seeking guidance from the Italian-born baritone Giuseppe Danise, an old friend, about making the vocal change, an exercise that resulted in a year away from the stage. Although the transition was traumatic, she was thrilled with the eventual results, as were audiences, though she would later jokingly refer to herself as a By the early 1960s Regina Resnik had appeared in all the world's major opera houses Berlin, Salzburg, Vienna, San Francisco and Buenos Aires included while her repertoire expanded to include the Marquise in Donizetti's La Fille du (with Sutherland and Luciano Pavarotti). Klytemnestra in Strauss's Elektra (under Georg Solti) and the Countess in Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades (under Rostropovich).

When learning the part of Marina in Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov (with which she marked her return to the Met as a mezzo under Dmitri Mitropoulos in 1957). she was able, to practise the role with her parents, who advised her on the Russian pronunciation. Meanwhile, demand for her to sing Carmen rarely faltered, and among her many performances were two seasons in Vienna for Herbert von Karajan in 1957 and in 1958, the same year in which she appeared in Verdi's Requiem at the Proms in London under Malcolm Sargent. Sub-sea equipment entrepreneur whose revolutionary Jim' diving suit featured in a James Bond film MIKE BORROW, who has died aged 84, founded Underwater Marine Equipment (UMEL), a firm specialising in subsea equipment which became best-known for the development of the Jim suit an atmospheric diving suit which was widely used by the offshore oil industry and featured in the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only. The race to develop a working atmospheric diving suit (which maintains normal atmospheric pressure around the diver, eliminating the risk of "the began in the mid-1960s when the new North Sea oil industry was looking for ways to get divers on to the ocean floor.

Borrow and his business partner, Mike Humphrey, knew that such a suit had been developed in the 1930s by an engineer called "Pop" Peress. Known as the it was revolutionary in that it featured lightweight magnesium in the main body and joints using a trapped cushion of oil to keep the surfaces moving smoothly. Although the Tritonia had performed perfectly during trials at depths of 135 metres, it had never been developed commercially. By 1965 when Borrow and Humphrey met him, Peress was in his eighties. "We could see that the Peress prototype be the solution to the problems confronting designers at the time," Borrow recalled.

With a bit of persuasion Peress agreed to come out of retirement, and the team succeeded in tracking down the original Tritonia suit to a Glasgow workshop, where it had been hidden for 30 years under a pile of rubbish. Five years later the team unveiled a modern atmospheric suit using the Peress joint. The Mike Winters Back in New York, Regina Resnik felt that BETTIE TOWN, who has died Rudolf Bing, the Met's director, was offering aged 89, was the doyenne of her only minor roles, and the title role working English Setter in Carmen was awarded to another singer in gundogs in the United 1967 she resigned from the company in Kingdom. protest. They were reconciled not long She was born Elizabeth afterwards and she continued singing there Mary Knight in Doncaster on until 1981, giving classes at the house and August 7 1923 along with a elsewhere for many years.

twin brother, John. Their Regina Resnik was as highly cultured father, Edwin, was a quantity offstage as she was on it. She purchased her surveyor; their mother, own subscription to the opera and was an Lillian, a teacher. After the of the New York theatre. Among her family moved to Warkworth other interests were philately and Greek she attended the Duchess archaeology; she visited museums and School in Alnwick; they later galleries in every city in which she was moved to Darlington.

performing. Bettie loved sport from She was very conscious of being an girlhood. A keen swimmer, American abroad, and enjoyed the she spent many happy hours opportunities that were offered to American in the river Coquet in singers during the post-war reconstruction of Northumberland. She was Europe. She liked to recall how, on one later appointed captain of the occasion, she was at Bayreuth when Wieland Durham netball team.

Wagner walked into the rehearsals for his was combition brother Wolfgang's Ring and proclaimed: a PE teacher, but her mother "Well, well, well, it still looks like the war. All did not consider this an the gods are Americans and the Nibelungs appropriate career; and when are she arrived home after a On another occasion, while singing summer spent with her twin Carmen in Marseille in 1962, it seemed that cousins Jack and Harold on the largely nationalist audience had come their farm at East Ardsley, mostly to boo her and her Don. who West Yorkshire, dressed in also happened to be American. After the her uncle's riding breeches, audience expressed their displeasure with she was strongly encouraged Don at the end of the Flower Song, to attend a secretarial course Regina Resnik stepped to the front of the in Darlington. stage.

"Taisez-vous!" she demanded, Having qualified, in 1942 ordering the public to desist from the she was employed by the protests and instead enjoy the marvellous landowner Captain Parlour show. at Monkend Hall, Croft, in In 1983 she appeared in a television North Yorkshire. documentary, filmed in the Venetian ghetto, The appointment changed exploring her Jewish heritage. In 1991 the the course of her life. At Mayor of New York City proclaimed "Regina Monkend Hall she not only Resnik which coincided with the award became a proficient shot, she of an honorary doctorate from Hunter, her was also introduced to former college.

Captain Parlour's kennel of Regina Resnik married first, in 1947, Harry Sharnberry English Setters, Davis, a New York lawyer, but that ended in which was already celebrated. divorce. Her second husband, whom she Each year he and his friends married in 1975, was Arbit Blatas, the would shoot grouse over the Lithuanian- painter and sculptor. They Sharnberry Setters for as long she was directing Carmen and as the weather was favourable together worked on several more operas for dog work. In 1973 there including Falstaff, The Queen of Spades and were eight Field Trial Salome and kept a home in Venice.

He died Champion English Setters in in 1999, and she is survived by a son of her the Sharnberry Kennel. first marriage. Alongside the keepers on the estate, Bettie Town Regina Resnik, born August 30 1922, died handled and trained the August 8 2013 Sharnberry Setters. The first award she won at a field trial was with a Pointer called Boss, in Scotland in 1949. The first English Setter she handled was the Field Trial Champion Sharnberry Whitestone, and she always said later that she had been Borrow, and the Jim company developed the first flexible habitat suit: it was used in the for underwater welding; became the first firm offshore oil industry to use a proton magnetometer underwater; and helped salvage a and in 1963 built the first Wellington bomber commercial "sub bottom profiler" (used for from Loch Ness geological surveys), for the English Channel survey.

In the same year Borrow coordinated the first commercial oxy-helium dive in Greece. The following year, with Lintott Engineering they designed and built SURV, the first British commercial manned submersible. Though test depth for the new model was to be 610m, the project was subsequently abandoned, the and it was named "Jim" after the diver who submersible went on to take pride of place in first tested the Tritonia, Jim Jarret. the Science Museum. Other projects included The suit was completed in 1971, and sea the development of high-speed remote trials took place in 1972 on the Royal Navy control vehicles for deployment from salvage vessel Reclaim to a depth of 152m.

submarine torpedo tubes and state-of-the-art Though it took some years to catch on, by the subsea camera systems. 1980s the Jim suit and its variations Borrow retired from UMEL in 1985 after the being used around the world to destiere company was taken over by Slingsby beyond 600m. In 1985 the suit was used to Engineering. He was appointed OBE for his help salvage a Wellington bomber that had services to oceanography. been discovered at the bottom of Loch Ness.

After his retirement Borrow became a small Michael Borrow was born on August 31 business counsellor with the Blackwater 1928 and educated at Bancroft's School in Valley Enterprise Trust and worked as a Woodford Green, Essex. After leaving school volunteer with the Farnborough Air Sciences in 1944 he joined the Merchant Navy, but by Trust. He was a co-founder of the 1950 had left the service and joined Archaeological Diving Group and a founding Stanford's, the marine cartographers, editing member and Fellow of the Society of and updating coastal navigation charts. He Underwater Technology. then went to RFD Beaufort, a leading His first wife, Amy, predeceased him, as did manufacturer of marine safety equipment, a daughter.

He is survived by his second wife, where he worked with the RNLI to develop a Frances, and by another daughter. new generation of rescue lifeboats. In 1959 he formed UMEL, initially in Essex. Mike Borrow, born August 31 1928, died June In addition to producing the Jim suit, the 16 2013 Comedian who formed a popular double act with his brother Bernie until he was replaced by a dog MIKE WINTERS, who has died aged 82, was the straight man to his brother Bernie in the comedy double act Mike Bernie Winters. The brothers were pioneers of television comedy, first appearing on Britain's screens in 1955 on the BBC show Variety Parade, before becoming regulars on programmes such as Big Night Out and Sunday Night At The London Palladium.

In 1965 they won their own comedy show on ITV. Mike was the suave, pipe-smoking member of the duo, referred to as "Choochie-Face" by his brother Bernie, a lovable buffoon with a gormless grin the cheery catchphrase: "I'll smash anace Known for his sophisticated wordplay, Bernie would confuse "vowels" with "bowels" or say "You've heard of Frank Sinatra? Well, here's Stank while Mike would interrupt with exasperated "Stop! I'm not interested." It is somewhat difficult in hindsight to see what people found so funny; even in their heyday critical opinion was mixed. An oftquoted story told of Bernie following his brother on stage at the notorious Glasgow Empire, to be greeted by a voice from the stalls: "Good God, there's two of Meanwhile, when Morecambe and Wise were asked what they would have done had Bettie Town Gundog trainer whose English Setters scooped the prizes over five decades Bettie Town: a proficient shot 1978. She won many other field trials and made up (trained) numerous other Field Trial Champions. A member of the Kennel Club from 1974, she was the first woman to be elected from the Club to its Field Trials subcommittee, on which she remained for 20 years.

The Kennel Club also appointed her an A Panel judge (the most senior and experienced category of adjudicator). She was also a past secretary and vice-president of the International Gundog League Pointer and Setter Society; president Yorkshire Gundog Club; and president of the English Setter Club. Bettie Town never missed being out on the moors on August 12, shooting grouse over English Setters. A formidable character, she had a very sharp mind and a remarkable memory. She loved the company of young people.

Her interest in sport never waned, and she captained the ladies' cricket side at Leake in North Yorkshire: at that time there was no men's eleven, and the ladies kept the ground going until a men's team was re-established. She had been a vice-president of the Leake men's team since 1978. Every year she would travel to Lord's and Trent Bridge to watch Test matches, using a Thermos flask to smuggle alcohol into the grounds. She also enjoyed playing tennis and golf. In 1963 she married Alwyn Town, an insurance broker and also an A Panel Kennel Club judge.

Her husband predeceased her, and she is survived by their daughter, Fiona, and son, William. Fiona is Field Trial Secretary of the English Setter Club, like her mother before her. "spoilt" by him, as he was one of those once-in-alifetime dogs, winning more awards than any other English Setter in Britain, including the English Setter Challenge Trophy in six consecutive years (1951-56). Bettie Town won this trophy for the last time in 2002. She won the Pointer and Setter Champion Stake three times with English Setters: Field Trial Champion (FT CH) Sharnberry Red Bracken in 1970; FT CH Little Dodi of Sharnberry in 1973; and FT CH Sharnberry Dougal in Bettie Town, born August 7 1923, died July 16 2013 The most complete answer to bathing difficulties yet! Shower heaven Love IN JUST ONE Bathlime FITTED' IN A Shower standing, or sitting down! OVER 20.000 Time based on INSTALLATIONS straight forward fitting.

IN THE UK Do you struggle to get in and out of your old bath? Worried about your safety? Then let Aquability turn your bathing difficulty into shower heaven with the amazing All-in-One Shower Module. Designed to fit in the same space as your old bath, the Shower Module's unique construction enables it to be FITTED IN JUST ONE DAY with NO MESS, NO FUSS and NO RE-TILING either! Available with fold-down seat Easy clean tile effect no re-tiling or mouldy grout! Built-in shelving Half or full height doors Optional seat and grab rail Assistance pole Slip resistant floor NEW lower step FOR MORE DETAILS AND A FREE BROCHURE CALL FREE ON 0800 316 0110 ASK EXT. FOR 53333 Or return coupon to FREEPOST RRGY-AHAX-AHSX, Aquability UK Ltd, Farnborough, GU14 ONR. Or visit www.aquability.com they flopped in show business, they replied: "We'd have been Mike and Bernie Winters." Yet they were immensely popular. Their ITV show ran for eight years, regularly reaching the top three in the ratings and attracting guest stars such as Tom Jones and The Beatles, who appeared on programme three times.

The brothers continued to work together, but in 1978 they fell out, allegedly over Bernie's long-running affair with a dancer 20 years his junior. While Bernie dreamed up a new act starring a new partner, his St Bernard dog Schnorbitz, and became a regular on television shows such as Punchlines Give Us A Clue, Mike abandoned showbusiness and emigrated to Florida to become a businessman. Michael Winters was born Michael Weinstein on November 15 1930 in Islington, North London, into an Orthodox Jewish family. His mother was from a celebrated circus dynasty. His father, Samuel Weinstein, led a somewhat shady existence that involved boxing, bookmaking and a spell as bodyguard to a London gangster.

Michael's brother Bernie was born in 1932. Michael attended the City of Oxford High School for Boys and won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music where he Mike (right) and Bernie: TV comedy pioneers studied the clarinet. During the war he served in the Merchant Navy despite being underage. Discharged on medical grounds, he subsequently enlisted in the Canadian Legion as a musician. He had a facility for jazz and after the war, with brother Bernie on drums, getting gigs at the Stage Door Canteen, an ex-servicemen's club in Piccadilly.

To keep the audience entertained they began interrupting their solos with short comedy impressions, and soon found work entertaining the troops abroad, appearing in the Occupied Zone in Vienna. From 1955 to 1958 Mike and Bernie Winters were regulars on the BBC's Variety Parade, after which they moved to ITV's Sunday Night at the London Palladium, supporting Shirley Bassey. They did pantomimes in Cardiff, cabarets in Sheffield and summer seasons in Yarmouth where, in 1967, despite the resort also boasting Rolf Harris, Morecambe and Wise and Val Doonican, each in their own rival shows, Mike and Bernie broke all box-office records for the season an achievement that still stands. In 1962 the brothers starred at a Royal Variety Performance and the following year they starred with Frankie Howerd and Tommy Cooper in Michael Winner's film The Cool Mikado. After the brothers' act broke up, Mike emigrated to Florida, where he became a successful Miami nightclub owner, did much work for charity and wrote several books including a memoir, The Sunny Side Of Winters (2010).

He eventually retired to Gloucestershire. Although he and his brother never worked together again, they made their peace before Bernie's death in 1991. In 1955, Mike Winters married Cassie Chaney, a fashion designer, who survives him with their two children. Mike Winters, born November 15 1930, died August 24 2013 Please contact me to arrange a FREE no-obligation Home Survey Please send me a FREE brochure on the Aquability All-in-One Shower Module 53333 Name Tel Address EASY, SAFE BATHING Postcode Send to: FREEPOST RRGY-AHAX-AHSX, Aquability UK Ltd, Farnborough, GU14 ONR. 2.