Funeral of York Normandy veteran Sid Metcalfe at St Lawrence's Church

The church pews were filled with hundreds of mourners – family, veterans and Sid’s many friends – as soldiers from 34 Field Hospital at Strensall carried Sid’s flag-draped coffin into the church.

There was a rousing chorus of I Vow To Thee My Country, before Nick Beilby of the York Normandy Veterans read out a script specially prepared by Sid’s family, which told the story of his extraordinary life.

It ended with the simple words “Sleep well, Dad!”

Fr Adam Romanis, the Vicar of St Lawrence’s, then paid his own tribute.

“Blessed are those who say ‘we’re not heroes, don’t call us heroes’, because they are the ones who are the heroes," he said. Everyone in the church knew exactly what he meant.

Soldiers from 34 Field Hospital then performed a solemn flag-folding service, before a bugle struck up the last post.

Mr Metcalfe  - known to friends as Sid - died on Remembrance Day this year, at the age of 99.

He had been due to attend a Remembrance Day service at St Lawrence's Church that evening, but was taken into hospital at about lunchtime and passed away later in the afternoon.

Sid was born on December 30, 1922, at Acomb Maternity Hospital, and grew up in York.

Called up when war broke out, he was in his early 20s when the reconnaissance unit he served with as a mechanic/ driver landed at Sword Beach on D-Day plus 10.

As he and his comrades landed on the beach, an officer told them ‘It is now dig or die’.

Mr Bielby told mourners that Sid’s unit had gone to recce a bridge that would be needed for the Allied push into Holland.

They were ambushed, and Sid’s friend George Fox was killed in the resultant shootout.

Sid was captured, and taken by cattle truck to a POW camp in southern Germany.

There he was forced to work in a copper mine – which collapsed, leaving him with a badly injured back.

He was eventually liberated by US troops, taken to Brussels, and flown back to the UK on a Dakota.

“That’s why he always enjoyed seeing the Dakota at the Yorkshire Air Museum’,” Mr Bielby told mourners.

After a train journey from London, and being challenged by a station guard in York to show his papers, he eventually arrived at his parents home at 4am.

“He knocked on the door, his mum came down to answer, and said ‘It’s our Sid!’” Mr Bielby said. “There was no further sleep that night.”

After the war Sid retrained as a joiner, went to work for York Corporation, and rose to become clerk of works.

He went on to have four children, two step-children, 10 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and five great-great grandchildren, Mr Bielby told the congregation.

Among Sid’s many family members present for the funeral service were his granddaughter Hayley Child, her husband Mick, and their son George – Sid’s great-grandson.

George, a film studies student, is making a film about his great-grandfather’s life.

Hayley said her grandfather, who was ‘always happy’, would have loved the funeral service. “He would have had the biggest smile on his face!” she said. “I can almost see him grinning.”

After today’s service there was a private family cremation followed by a wake at Acomb Working Men's Club.