Armed forces personnel come out for funeral of WW2 veteran

Service personnel have come together for the funeral of a 97-year-old Royal Marine who served during World War Two and had few family members.

The service in Devon for Douglas Tune, or "Dougie" as he was known, initially faced only six people, including his niece and carers, attending.

Carer Natalie Frayne posted an appeal on Facebook as a "shout-out" for attendees at the service in Exeter.

She said she was "over the moon" when more than 130 people attended.

Mr Tune, originally from Scunthorpe, moved down to Exeter, when he joined the Royal Marines, and met his wife Betty during the VE Day celebrations at the square in Exmouth.

He would have been 15-years-old when World War Two began in 1939, but was described as being involved in the plans for the D-Day landings a few years later.

Brigadier Paul Denning, a trustee of the Royal Marines Charity, said "there is no such thing as a Royal Marine without a family" and the marines "are a very close-knit family".

He said: "We just thought it was very important one of our brothers who had served his country had people to say goodbye to him when he went.

"Any British serviceman would quite rightly have people from his regiment or service come up to say goodbye. But doing it with flags, military style and tradition is very much a fitting way to do it."

Jeff Trail, a former marines warrant officer who also attended the service at Exeter Crematorium, said he was "not surprised" by the turnout.

"It's pleasing to see that other units from other services have also felt the need to rejoice the life of Dougie. We make time for our families," he said.

It was not just Royal Marines who attended. Personnel from other branches of the armed forces came to pay their respects.

Darren New, who served in the Royal Navy submarine service, was one of the standard bearers.

"He was a World War Two veteran and, obviously, there aren't very many left of those.

"It's an honour to send them on their final journey with the respect that they deserve," he said.

Ms Frayne and Michael Gibbons, who also cared for Dougie, said they were "over the moon" with the response after posting the Facebook plea on 6 August.

"He was a very private person, but he was just Dougie; happy-go-lucky, he was great," she said.

"He was a strong person who deserved the best send-off we could give him, and that's what he got," Mr Gibbons added.

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