TRIBUTES have been paid to the president of the Royal British Legion Royston Branch who served in WW2.

George Ellis, 91, died in January and had seen action in North Africa and Italy after joining the medical branch of the Royal Air Force and was mentioned in the London Gazette’s Dispatches in 1943.

After the conflict he joined the British Legion in Royston and helped the organisation in its chariatble works for many years.

Branch chairman Chris Murphy said: “George held many positions in his years of service with the Royal British Legion and it was through George and others like him at the Royston Branch that I became involved with the Legion more than 15 years ago.

“I found George to be friendly, and deeply passionate about the Royal British Legion.

“George could often be heard in Branch meetings reiterating that the work of the Legion was about “service not self” something which I believe George demonstrated admirably”.

George passed away on January 3 and had been living at St George’s Nursing Home in Royston.

His funeral was held at Cambridge Crematorium, where the coffin was led by the Standard Bearers of the Royal British Legion and the Royal Air Forces Association, to the accompaniment of Elgar’s Nimrod.

Mr Murphy said “To the many people of Royston who did not know George personally, they will perhaps remember his presence on Remembrance Sunday, when he would recite the Exhortation and Silent Tribute during the act of remembrance, something which I know meant a great deal to George.

“George belonged to that generation that the American writer and broadcaster Tom Brocourt called the ‘Greatest Generation’.

“We will miss George. Things will not seem quite the same without him, but I know that he would wish to see the work of the Royal British Legion Royston Branch continue.

“I remember how he used to say that the younger generation were the Legion’s future and he can rest assured that we will continue with the work that meant so much to him.”