Second World War veteran Edna Storr to be honoured at funeral

Wartime Royal Artillery gunner Edna Storr, of Cedar Crescent, Selby, who died recently, aged 87, was involved in a seven-year campaign for the £1 million bronzed statue close to the Cenotaph in London’s Whitehall.

Her funeral takes place at Selby Abbey at noon on Tuesday, with people expected to attend from all over the country.

Now it has emerged there will be three standard-bearers, Bill Armstrong, standard-bearer from the York branch of the Royal Artillery Association, Marie Taylor from York, a Wren association member and British Legion standard bearer, and Geoffrey Blanshard, of the Hull branch of the association.

A guard of honour is also being planned by ATS veterans and Edna’s coffin will be draped in either the Royal Artillery flag or the Union flag.

Her son, Phil, said a serving female officer from the Royal Engineers will also play the Last Post on a bugle.

He said he had been touched and comforted by a non-stop stream of messages of support and condolence since his mother died.

Edna, or “Smudge” as she was known to her wartime pals, died in York Hospital on Easter Sunday after a short battle with Alzheimer’s.

She gained national recognition when, along with former Army gunner Mildred Veal, of Clifton, York and with help from Major David Robertson, of Imphal Barracks, she started a campaign to put up a memorial to the women of the Second World War.

In the late 1990s, with the support of both the national and local media, two local MPs, the former Speaker of the House of Commons, Betty Boothroyd, and force’s sweetheart Dame Vera Lynn, fundraising commenced in earnest and in July, 2005, the memorial was unveiled in pride of place outside the Cabinet Office, close to Downing Street.

The monument recognises the crucial contribution made by 640,000 women in the armed forces and seven million in the Land Army, munitions factories, fire brigades and other wartime occupations.