Hundreds Attend 99 Year-Old Harold Percival’s Funeral After newspaper Ad

Hundreds of people from across the UK have attended the funeral in Lancashire of a World War Two veteran they never knew.

Harold Jellicoe Percival, who was known as Coe, served as ground crew on the famous Dambusters raids carried out in May 1943 by 617 Squadron.

Mr Percival, who died last month aged 99, never married or had children.

The funeral home organising the service put an advert in a newspaper appealing for people to attend.

The Reverend Alan Clark, who conducted the service, said: “We marvel at the power of the printed word, whether on paper or screen.”

Mr Percival’s nephew, Andrew Colyer-Worrsall, said the attendance was “just remarkable”.

Harold Percival died last month at the age of 99

“He was a quiet man, he was an ordinary man who did his duty and served in the war and to see so many people turn up, it’s just overwhelming,” he said.

“I can only say thank you so much to everybody.

“We thought there would just be two or three of us, so to see this many hundreds of people turn up is stunning.”

Source: BBC News