Hero's farewell for Shropshire D-Day veteran who died aged 101

Family, friends, and ex-servicemen have bid farewell to a true Shropshire war hero.

In the early afternoon of Monday, September 14, nearly 100 people gathered for the funeral of Eric Lucas at Emstrey Crematorium, Shrewsbury.

Mr Lucas, from Church Stretton, who died aged 101, was one of the last surviving British D-Day veterans.

The Stretton man stormed Sword Beach on June 6, 1944, with the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry.

Just months after his bravery in Normandy, Mr Lucas was seriously wounded in the Netherlands after being struck by German shrapnel.

As a result of his injury, the Shropshire soldier lost the lower part of his right leg, bringing his service in the army to a close, and changing his life forever.

In 2016, he was awarded the Legion D’honneur medal, France’s highest decoration for both those in the military and civilians.

He was awarded the medal to commemorate his brave service during the war.

In a fitting tribute to Mr Lucas’ courageous wartime service, the hearse carrying his coffin was sombrely escorted through the crematorium grounds by a King’s Shropshire Light Infantry flag bearer.

Later in the moving service, the traditional British military bugle tribute to mourn fallen soldiers, The Last Post, was played by veteran buglers to commemorate the Stretton man.

The coffin of Mr Lucas entered the service hall soundtracked by Monty Python’s ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’.

In his opening remarks to those who had assembled for the funeral service, Reverend Mervyn Williams, who was leading proceedings, said Mr Lucas was by all accounts “a war veteran and just a really nice guy.”

Hymns such as ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’, ‘Abide With Me’, and ‘Amazing Grace’ were sung, and Mr Lucas’ son, Geoff, and his grandchildren, James and Amy, led spoken tributes to the Stretton man.

The tributes were laden with fond memories of a man who lived life to the full, loved his family, and served his country bravely during some of the darkest days of modern British history.

It was a funeral worthy of a Shropshire war hero, a father, a great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather.

Talking to the Shropshire Star earlier this month following the sad passing of his father, Geoff Lucas said: “He was very easy-going and a very generous person.”

He added: “He liked a gamble, obviously within his means, but if he won, the whole family would win, because he would share his winnings. He was a very generous man.”

Talking about his father’s legacy, Geoff said: “I would like him to be remembered as a very kind, generous gentleman.”

After his wartime service, Mr Lucas had to grapple with life without the full use of his right leg.

After learning how to walk again using a prosthetic leg, he worked as a school caretaker in Church Stretton, then as a builder for Sherratt Builders and Bennett’s.

He finished off working for GKN Sankey in Telford.

Eric married his wife Jean in 1952. The couple were married for nearly 70 years until Jean died in 2020. They had two children, Geoff and his sister Christine.

Eric Lucas was born on February 28, 1925, and died on August 26, 2026.