Cadets paid their respects to a Second World War veteran who “will be missed by everyone who knew him”.
Corporal Harold Noor, who joined the army in 1944, served for 27 years and regularly attended the Armed Forces Veterans Breakfast Club in March.
Jeff Walters, who runs the breakfast club and veterans hub, said: “He was a really fun gentleman who will be missed by everyone who knew him.”
Cpl Noor died at the age of 96.
Members of the March and Chatteris Army Cadet Detachments attended Cpl Noor’s funeral on January 4, escorting the hearse and formed a guard of honour to salute the coffin as it passed.
The funeral at Fenland Crematorium honoured Cpl Noor’s life, including a chorus of ‘The Quartermasters Store’ and a rendition of ‘The Last Post’.
Many army and Royal Air Force air cadets said it was an honour to take part in the service.
Staff Sergeant Rob Silveri, commander of the March Army Cadet Detachment, told his cadets: “Your behaviour and manners were exemplary and respectful; well done all.”
As well as 17 years in the Territorial Army, Cpl Noor served with units including the Royal Army Service Corps and the North Somerset Yeomanry, and earned the airborne forces maroon beret.
Having grown up in a Catholic orphanage in the 1930s, Cpl Noor had to change ways in army life but quickly adapted.
He also featured in the Guinness World Records for being carried 26 miles on a stretcher, and while fond of a drink, was known for joking with his colleagues.
Harold’s daughter, Thelma, said her father “loved the army; it gave him purpose in life, and stability during hard times.”
March Armed Forces and Veterans Hub is a drop-in centre for veterans and families at Cassanos on March High Street, open Thursdays 10am-4pm.
The Hub offers advice on issues from finances to post-traumatic stress disorder.
The Armed Forces Veterans Breakfast Club, at the same venue, meets on the first Saturday of every month.
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