Emotional farewell for Dudley war hero
The life of a Black Country war hero, who received the Burma Star medal, was remembered at his funeral.
Walter Carr, who died aged 96, was given a big send-off at Gornal Wood crematorium, with representatives of the Royal British Legion and Burma Star Association attending the service.
Mr Carr, who was raised in Church Lane in Tipton, served in the Royal Marines between 1939 and 1945 when he was based in Burma as well as the Middle East.
His son Stephen, 65, who lives in Coleford Close, Wordsley, described his father as a family man with a passion for politics and a fan of singer Shirley Bassey.
He said: "He was always a man who looked after his family.
"He always put his family first.
"He was a good, loving father. He cared for my mum and he was a really good man."
His father was born to parents Emma and John Carr and he had a brother Ted and sister Emily.
He attended a school in Tipton before leaving to start work and joined the Royal Marines at the start of the Second World War, though he never served in Europe.
After leaving the military, he worked at the Austin car plant in Longbridge before going on to work as a postal worker and at a window framing company before finishing his working life at the Brymill foundry in Tipton.
Politics was always his main interest and he was a convenor for a steel workers' union while working at the Brymill.
However, he never became a councillor because his wife Dora was concerned he would spend too much time away from the family.
His son Stephen said he was reluctant to talk about the war, though 'it was always there' in the background.
He added: "He was a proud man, he loved his country.
"He had got a strong point of view and he was always prepared to listen to others."
He had three children, with two daughters, Judith Holden, 65 and Betty Jones, 71, who both live in Canada.
He died on April 13.
