A great-grandfather from the Black Country was starting a holiday to celebrate the all-clear from cancer when he died as a result of a fall on a coach as it arrived at the seaside, his family revealed today.

His daughter said it was “cruel” he was robbed of his twilight years after twice surviving the disease.

James Hartill, aged 79, was given the all-clear by doctors in May and was travelling with wife of 58 years Gwen, 77, as he fell down a stairwell leading to a toilet on the coach.

He suffered head injuries as it arrived at the Water’s Edge Hotel, Torquay, on Monday and died in hospital the next day.

His family today paid tribute to the “big, kind, generous man” from Cottage Street, Kingswinford – “Big Jim” to friends.

Daughter Chris, 45, said: “It seems so cruel that after successfully beating cancer twice he should be robbed of his twilight years by an accident that happened as he arrived for a very long-awaited and well-deserved holiday with my mum.”

Wife Gwen said: “He had been through testicular and bowel cancer, two hip operations, and arthritis, but was still so full of life. ”

He also leaves daughters Carol, 57, Denise, 51, and son Darryl, 40, plus seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Born in Wordsley in 1931, he did National Service in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in Germany before he met Gwen and married in June 1952.

The draughtsman at Round Oak Steelworks, Brierley Hill and ACME, Kingswinford, founded Kingswinford Youth Club.

The funeral is at Gornal Crematorium on August 2 11.40pm. The family ask for any donations to go to the cancer unit at Russells Hall Hospital, Dudley.