VILLAGERS at Eardisley bowed their heads as a funeral cortege, led by a Royal British Legion standard bearer and a Scottish piper playing the lament, Going Home, took 96-year-old D-Day veteran Tom Carter on his final journey.

In their playground, pupils at Eardisley Primary School stood in silence to honour the retired farmer, who as part of the Sixth Airborne Division was involved in its first pivotal mission to secure the left flank of the Allied invasion during Operation Overlord 75 years ago.

His daughter, Diane was among friends and family who followed Tom’s coffin, draped with the Union Jack, from the New Strand pub to the packed church of St Mary Magdalene. In an impassioned eulogy, Captain William Gregory, who became a close friend in more recent years, spoke of Tom’s “unbelievable fortitude”.

He said: “This is a massive honour for me to stand here,” he said. “Tom was one of the originals; to us he was like God.

“He was a witness to the largest armada in the history of warfare,

from the porthole of his glider he said it was impossible to count the number of ships which stretched as far as the eye could see.”

At the graveside, the former 2nd Airborne Division soldier, dressed in original combat jacket and beret, fired a volley of shots using a vintage Second World War Mark 1 Lee Enfield rifle. Taking the service, the Rev Marcus Small earlier warned mourners that the salute would “not be quiet”.

He later explained: “As part of the Sixth Airborne Division, Tom was one of the founding fathers, he really was a lion of England.

“The rifle is marked 1944 and would have been similar to the rifle Tom carried in action.”

Later in his life, Tom told Captain Gregory how he had been troubled by unwarranted accusations of cowardice during brief visits home on leave. “The airborne forces were all about lightning deployment, getting out there and back to Blighty; people didn’t understand and Tom couldn’t say he was just having down time. He struggled all his life with that.”

Despite his great courage, Tom was not to receive his medals for 60 years. Captain Gregory “pulled a few strings” and arranged a surprise presentation in the village. “He broke down and cried,” he said.

Retired farmer Jeff Glyn-Jones described Tom as a “lovely, easy-going man” who readily offered friendship and the loan of farm equipment. “He loved to chew the fat with other farmers at the Tram or the Strand, he liked a laugh and a few drinks and he loved country music as well as classical music.”

He told the congregation about the tragedies Tom endured during his life. His wife, Kathleen died at the age of 43, and in 1969 their 23-year-old son, Mervyn and his friend Michael Whittall drowned in the River Wye. The RBL standard was carried at Tom’s funeral by Michael’s nephew, Phillip Whittall.

There was a further blow for Tom in 2003 when he lost his son, Melville.

“He bore all this with bravery and resilience and though he had many ups and downs he lived life to the full.”