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Royal Marines line street to pay tribute to Second World War veteran

A church service saw Royal Marines servicemen pay tribute to a veteran who was one of the first to fight the Japanese in the Second World War.

By contributor Zoe Head-Thomas, Press Association
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Supporting image for story: Royal Marines line street to pay tribute to Second World War veteran
Tributes were paid at the funeral of Second World War Royal Marine veteran Jim Wren died at the age of 105 (Ben Birchall/PA)

Hundreds of people have paid their respects to one of the last remaining Royal Marine veterans of the Second World War.

A street in Salisbury was lined by mourners at the funeral of Jim Wren, who died earlier this year aged 105.

The ceremony was attended by family, friends and well-wishers and his coffin was draped in a Royal Marine Corps Flag as it was carried into St Thomas’s Church by servicemen to complete silence.

Marines in uniform lift a coffin onto their shoulders. The coffin is draped with a blue flag and has bright flowers on top. Either side of the hearse, men stand in salute
The coffin is taken from St Thomas’ Church in Salisbury, Wiltshire, following the funeral of 105-year-old Second World War Royal Marine veteran Jim Wren (Ben Birchall/PA)

During the service, he was described by his family as a “passive man who would never get angry” and who rarely spoke about his service, “only opening up in recent years”.

Mr Wren, who was held by the Japanese during the war in the Far East, was rejected by both the RAF and the British Army at the age of 19.

But, encouraged by his uncle, he later joined the Royal Marines.

After completing his training, he was assigned to a First World War-era battle-cruiser, HMS Repulse, which was involved in the hunt for the Bismarck.

Deployed to the Far East in a bid to deter Japanese aggression in the Pacific, Repulse lasted just 80 minutes in battle before Mr Wren and his shipmates were caught by enemy bombers in the South China Sea on December 10 1941.

Elderly man in black jacket, striped tie and black beret. He wears a collection of medals on his chest
James ‘Jim’ Wren, pictured ahead of the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, has died aged 105 (Aaron Chown/PA)

Previously speaking to comrades in the Royal Marines Association, he recalled the moment the alarm sounded on the ship.

Mr Wren, who was originally from Sussex, said: “I dropped my tea and headed to my action station.

“The noise was terrific, it was one big noisy battle. There was no panic though, we’d been through the routines so regularly that we just got on it. Everyone knew their role and we had such a good crew. We all had faith in each other.”

Two months later, he was captured by the Japanese as he attempted to escape from Singapore. He spent the remainder of the conflict in prisoner-of-war camps where he endured harsh treatment until the news of Japan’s surrender in August 1945.

The service ended to the sound of bugles as members of the Royal Marines and his family paid their final farewells.