One of the last remaining Tailend Charlies - Lancaster bomber rear gunners - has died in Tewkesbury, aged 92.

Cyril 'Mick' Bignall, who flew in dozens of Second World War raids in cramped, cold conditions, passed away on August 17.

The funeral of Mr Bignall is due to take place on Wednesday at St Nicholas' Church, Ashchurch, with the Last Post playing and Royal Air Force Association standards on display.

Tailend Charlies spent long hours in the small turret at the rear of the aircraft, often in freezing conditions. Their role was to fire at enemy planes.

Mr Bignall's son, Christopher, said it was likely his father was one of the few of his kind remaining.

He told the Gloucestershire Echo: "There are not going to be many of them left now. These guys were risking their necks night after night over Germany - he was so brave and told me the only thing he was afraid of was the cold in the turret."

His daughter, Wendy Cox, from Wootton Bassett, where tomorrow people are expected to line the streets again in tribute when two more soldiers killed in Afghanistan are returned to Britain, said Mr Bignall was a hero.

At just 17 he was putting out incendiary devices single-handedly, she added.

Mr Bignall belonged to 149 (East India) Squadron - part of Bomber Command.

From March 1944 to August 1945 he flew 321 daytime and 85 night-time hours. In total he clocked up 2,060 flying hours and he was also proud to have dropped food parcels over Holland and Berlin.