Veterans, councillors and members of the public came together to honour a former serviceman after an appeal was launched to give him a proper send off.

An appeal was launched by Portland Royal Naval Association (RNA) for members of the community to attend the funeral of Fred Mills of Weymouth, who died in October aged 79 without any known family.

The appeal was started by Daniel Sherren, chairman of the Portland RNA after his wife Maureen, who volunteers for SSAFA, a charity that provides life-long support for veterans, heard Mr Mills’ story.

Mr Sherren said: “We have done it a few times now and we are always on hand to do it when we are needed. The thought of dying and there being no one there at the funeral is awful. We don’t go to mourn, we go to celebrate their life and send them on their way.”

Around 40 people attended the cremation service of Mr Mills, a former Royal Navy veteran, at Weymouth Crematorium yesterday. 

Among them was Portland councillor Sandy West, who widely shared the appeal online and even in council meetings. 

She said: “My dad was in the navy for 22 years as was my grandfather and my nephew is now. When you are in a service families, you stick together.The old boy had given his life to the country and there was no one there to mourn him, nobody should go alone.

“I thought the appeal was particularly poignant as we’ve only just had Remembrance Sunday. I didn’t know if hundreds would come or just a few but as it turned out it was really nice. I felt happy Fred crossed over surrounded by people who wanted to give him the send off he deserved.”

"It was a fitting send off for a man who gave his life to the service,” she said. 

Fiona Penny of Sunflowers florists donated a red, white and blue floral tribute.

Four standard bearers from the local area in full uniform flanked the coffin throughout the ceremony and Cllr West said as the curtains closed at the crematorium, Portland deputy mayor, Rod Wild played the Last Post. 

Cllr Wild said: “People shouldn’t be forgotten and he had done his service for the country – I’m pleased he got a good send off.”

Mr Wild added about 12 members of the RNA also attended the service along with Mr Mill’s ‘adoptive’ family who were his close friends in the years before he died. 

Cllr West said not much was known about Mr Mills but he was born on July 4, 1938 and originally came from Manchester. He had married at some stage in his life but never had any children. 

She added there was evidence, however, that Mr Mills served on HMS Resolution and was on Christmas Island at the time of the nuclear tests in the 1960s.

Mr Mills, who lived in sheltered housing in Weymouth, was a member of the British Nuclear Test Veterans Association.