Veteran's big send-off
Online campaign sees huge crowds for former soldier's Stockport funeral.
Hundreds of mourners attended the funeral service of a former war veteran in Stockport today, thanks to an online campaign by his nephew.
Tony Budgett’s uncle Tom Bryan died with very few remaining relatives and rather than see a sparsely attended service, Tony decided to encourage people to get involved and pay their respects to a former soldier.
Tony posted on Facebook:
Right you guys, I need some help. The pictures of the chap I've posted are my late Uncle Tom who passed away last week aged 92. Tom Bryan has no other family other than my Wife and I.
Stationed in India during the early years of the war, when Singapore fell to the Japanese, Tom was hurried with the rest of his regiment (Queens Rifle Regiment) to fight the Japanese in Burma. Uncle Tom would not talk about the war on his return and it was only decades later that he recounted the hellish existence he and his fellow troops endured. Surrounded and cut off for over three weeks, they fought their way out, very often hand to hand, often finding captured and killed allied troops, their tortured bodies left to be found by the retreating troops.
Now I would ask you all to kindly forward this to anyone you know who may be ex-services or who may be local to Stockport and could attend his funeral to pay their respects to a man that was deeply changed by his experiences during the war. It would be very sad for there to only be a couple of people to say farewell to this loyal servant of Crown and Country. Tom's funeral will take place at Stockport Crematorium (Ronan Chapel) Tuesday 10 November, 1.45pm.
The post was shared over 700 times with massive interest on social media and helped create a crowd of around 250 people for Tom's funeral.
Tom's coffin was carried into the crematorium by members of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue service.
After the funeral, Tom's nephew Tony Budgett thanked all the attendees for their support in making it a special day.