Laurie Brokenshire (1952–2017) was a Royal Naval officer, magician, and world-class puzzle solver. He is also known to have successfully fostered over 70 children in 22 years.

Laurie Brokenshire was born on 20 October 1952 in UK. His early hobby interests included chess, puzzles and magic. In 1964, he joined Devonport High School for Boys.

In 1966, following the completion of his father’s naval career, the family moved to Slough, where he joined Slough Grammar School, now called Upton Court Grammar School. He played for Buckinghamshire junior hockey. In later years, he managed the School chess club and, jointly, the School bridge club.

In his spare time, Brokenshire became a world-class puzzling expert. Specialising in combinatorial and mechanical puzzles, he was in regular contact with puzzle researchers, designers, makers, enthusiasts and other specialists around the world. He introduced some novel solutions to existing problems, and was exceptionally quick to solve new problems. He was retained by a number of major puzzles companies as a consultant to offer an assessment on the viability of proposed puzzles. His personal puzzle collection was considered among the largest in the UK. He organised and held G4G Celebration of Mind meetings at his house.