Mourners gather for funeral of D-Day veteran, 97

Mourners gathered in Yeovil on Friday afternoon for the funeral of a 97-year-old D-Day veteran.

William Tolley, known to everyone as Bill, served in the Royal Navy during World War Two and was then in the Army in Palestine.

Service personnel from RNAS Yeovilton attended Yeovil Crematorium on Friday 26 April at 12:00 BST.

They also organised a fly-past as a special tribute to Mr Tolley.

Mourners said Mr Tolley would have been "disappointed" to miss the 80th anniversary of D-Day landings of 6 June.

Mr Tolley was born in 1926 in London and spent his later years in the Henstridge area of Somerset.

He was a "below deck crewman" on destroyers in 1944, and later was transferred to the Royal Artillery for service in Palestine until 1948.

At the end of the war he served in East Asia and Palestine and was awarded several medals during his service career.

Celebrant Vickie Macintosh said: "I had the honour of meeting Bill, sadly at a couple of other funerals. He was a highly decorated gentleman, very very humble.

"I think he would most liked to be remembered as a gentleman who made people laugh and put them at their ease."

Simon David Woodrow, chairman and parade martial drill sergeant for the Yeovil and District Branch Royal British Legion said no veteran should have to "make their final journey on their own".

"As you can see today, Bill had a very big forces family and it went very well. Their service is always valued and always will be," he said.

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