War veteran to get send-off he deserves - family
Wilfred 'Wilf' Slater, pictured here during the war, died last month aged 97
At a glance
World War Two veteran Wilfred "Wilf" Slater died aged 97 on 27 April
He served with D Company, 2nd Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment in north-west Europe, as well as Egypt and Palestine
Mr Slater was shot in both legs but returned to duty once his wounds had healed
Relatives issued a social media appeal for people to attend his funeral on Monday 22 May
- Published
A World War Two veteran will be given the send off he deserves after the public answered an appeal for people to attend his funeral, his family have said.
Wilfred "Wilf" Slater, shot in both legs during the closing stages of the war, died peacefully at his East Yorkshire nursing home on 27 April. He was 97.
It was feared only a handful would attend his funeral next Monday but following a social media appeal the family now expects hundreds to attend from across Britain.
Alastair Benson, the husband of Mr Slater's niece Lynne, said: "We are very grateful."
Wilfred Slater (pictured far left) pictured during a Remembrance event in East Yorkshire
Mr Benson said it was "only right" Mr Slater was given a fitting send off.
He said: "Their generation gave an awful lot, and some of them made the ultimate sacrifice so that we can all enjoy the freedoms we do today.
"We want to ensure Wilf gets the send off he deserves and one that he would have got perhaps15 or 20 years ago when many of those he served alongside were still with us."
Aged 14, Mr Slater joined the Home Guard in Little Weighton near Beverley, East Yorkshire, his family said, before joining the Army when he turned 18 in 1944.
He served with 2nd Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment, seeing active service in north-west Europe and later Egypt and Palestine.
In 1945, four days after his 19th birthday, Mr Slater was shot in both legs by a German sniper during an attack on a farmhouse. He was evacuated and treated in Ghent, Belgium, before recuperating in Knokke, also in Belgium, before returning to his duties.
In later years, Mr Slater - who did not have any children - was an active member of East Yorkshire's veterans' community and had, over the years, returned to former battlegrounds to honour fallen comrades.
A union flag will be draped over his coffin, the family said, with current members of the Royal Yorkshire Regiment and standard-bearers expected to attend.
Maj Mick Lynch, chairman of The Royal Yorkshire Regiment Association, said: "It's the end of an era of men we should never forget. In their youth, they were a generation that endured five years of war and conflict on a scale we can only ever imagine."
The family have said all are welcome to attend his funeral at 13:30 BST on Monday at Haltemprice Crematorium, East Yorkshire.
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