Campaign Begins To Ensure War Hero Who Died Alone Is Not Buried Alone On Independence Day

Sidney Marshall was a war hero. He was an RAF veteran who flew in one of the most daring raids of WW2. Yet the D-Day survivor who did his part to halt Hitler’s hordes will be buried with hardly any mourners to mark his passing.

That is, unless people answer undertaker Eddy Jacobs’ appeal to come forward and attend the former Lancaster bomber pilot’s funeral.

Sidney Marshall was 90 years of age when he passed away at his home in Lythan St. Annes a fortnight ago. His wife Elizabeth died 18 months previously and the couple never had children,

During his time serving in WW2, Mr. Marshall was a mid-upper gunner and was honored with the Distinguished Flying Medal for shooting down five Luftwaffe fighters when his plane was attacked in the skies over Bergan.

The war hero was also a key part in the attack on November 12, 1944, which sank the 42,900 ton Bismarck-class battleship, Tirpitz.

The Tirpitz was double-plated with armor, carried nearly two thousand officers and crew and was heavily armed with flak guns, machine guns and eight 15-inch cannons.

The British Navy felt an attack on the Tirpitz by sea was far too risky, so instead the allies focused on attacking it from the air

Mr. Marshall’s record speaks for itself. In all, he completed an impressive 28 sorties for the RAF’s 9th Squadron piloting a Lancaster Bomber.

In the aftermath of the war, Mr. Marshall became a warrant officer and settled down with his wife in Lythan St. Annes.

Although he has eight siblings, with the exception of one brother, they are all too elderly to attend Mr. Marshall’s funeral service on July 4.

However, Eddy Jacobs, of Blackpool’s Roland Whitehead and Daughter Funeral Directors, has made an impassioned plea for mourners to come along and honor the memory of the war hero who gave so much for his country.

Mr. Jacobs told the Daily Mail:

“We’ve got so much to be thankful for to guys like these. I remember hiding under the kitchen table with my mother and at the same time he was probably flying off to fight the Germans.

“It’s amazing really. I first met him 18 months ago when his wife died and he was absolutely devastated. He was a very unassuming sort of man, so when I heard the stories about his time during the war I couldn’t believe it. These guys were so brave.”

Mr. Jacobs, who revealed the funeral had been moved to July 4, Independence Day to recognize Mr Marshall’s efforts in preserving freedom, said:

“He’s got no-one to fight his corner really. He was quite a private person.”