Crowds gather in Alford for funeral of D-Day veteran

Jack Quinn, who joined the Royal Marines in February 1942, was originally from Sheffield, and later moved to Mablethorpe on the Lincolnshire coast

The life of one of Britain's last D-Day veterans has been celebrated at his funeral, following his death aged 99.

Jack Quinn, from Mablethorpe, ferried a team of commandos - known as frogmen - to Gold Beach in Normandy on the night of 5 June 1944.

Their job was to clear mines and underwater obstructions before the Allied invasion force came ashore.

A day later - the start of the invasion - Mr Quinn defied orders in order to rescue the crew of a burning boat.

He was later awarded France's equivalent of the Victoria Cross for bravery.

Mr Quinn, who joined the Royal Marines in February 1942, was originally from Sheffield and later moved to Mablethorpe on the Lincolnshire coast.

He was the last remaining member of the Normandy Veterans' Association in Sheffield and a member of the Royal British Legion in Mablethorpe.

Mr Quinn was also a veteran ambassador for the British Normandy Memorial, which stands just outside the village of Ver-sur-Mer overlooking Gold Beach.

In tributes, he was described as "a valued and much loved supporter of the memorial project - committed to the remembrance of his fallen comrades".

Crowds turned out to pay their respects in Alford earlier

His funeral took place in Alford earlier, and was attended by veterans and other military personnel, with crowds gathering along the route of the funeral procession to pay their respects.

His account of the time has been published on the D-Day Revisited website.

In it he describes seeing infantrymen being "shot at, treading on mines and being blown into the air" as they advanced.

"It was chaotic - those lads on the beaches had it very rough indeed," he said.

Mr Quinn died on 27 January, aged 99

Commenting on the boat rescue, he said: "Around 11.30 that night, I noticed a boat on fire. Although the captain told me to leave it alone as we have enough to do, I headed over to it because it was drifting towards a minefield.

"We were under heavy fire the whole time, being bombed and shelled, but just kept running through it all. We rescued all seven men, all French. As soon as I got them on board, their boat touched a mine and was blown into the air."

After telling his captain what happened, Mr Quinn said he replied: 'You are one lucky bastard'.

Mr Quinn was awarded with the Croix de Guerre Silver Star for his heroic efforts in rescuing the crew of a burning boat

Mr Quinn also received a Mention in Dispatches in recognition of his gallantry for rescuing two special operatives during the landings, and was later given the Freedom of Guernsey for his role in its liberation.

Mr Quinn's ashes will be scattered off the Lincolnshire coast by the RNLI and in Normandy.