CLOSE family and friends of RAF D-Day veteran – Peter John Gould – gathered at Redditch Crematorium today (Tuesday, April 9) to pay their respects and celebrate his inspirational life.
A 45 minute service was led by Tina King, a Civil Funeral Celebrant, to honour and celebrate the life of Peter who died on March 11, 2024 at the age of 100.
Peter, who lived in Charford, was born in Bombay in 1923 and sailed to England in 1939 to enrol in the Royal Air Force before training as a flight engineer and flying a Lancaster Bomber.
He was part of 98 Squadron in Bomber Command, Pathfinder Force on D-Day and completed a full tour of duty during the Second World War, surviving a total of 45 sorties.
Later, he was awarded the Legion d’Honneur – France’s top military honour – for operations his squadron carried out on the day of the Normandy Landings.
As Peter’s casket was carried into the chapel Thank You for the Years by Shirley Bassey played on the crematorium speakers.
During Peter’s eulogy, Tina King remarked on his service in the military and spoke of his bravery. His ‘dedication’ to his family and ‘commitment’ to his values of honesty were highlighted.
It was said Peter relished sharing his wisdom and knowledge with his family and was proud to have been a founding member of Bromsgrove Lions.
Following the eulogy, a photo tribute played on two screens in the chapel as opera music by Nessun Dorma and Andrea Bocelli filled the room – in a nod to Peter’s love of operatic productions.
Within the photos were shots of Peter as a child, during his days at war, and in later life with family and friends.
Those gathered at the funeral banded together to say ‘We Will Remember Them’ before the Last Post was played by a Royal British Legion bugler as flag bearers lowered and raised their flags.
As the Last Post concluded, Flag bearers approached and payed their respects at Peter’s casket. Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye by Ella Fitzgerald filled the chapel as the service drew to a close.
On the order of service Peter’s family thanked everyone for their kind messages of sympathy and support and welcomed everyone to a wake at The Jinney Ring Centre on Hanbury Road, Bromsgrove.
Donations in memory of Peter can be made to Dementia UK and Cancer Research.
Visit www.dementiauk.org and www.cancerresearch.org to donate.
