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He died a single man with no friends or family.

But today 700 strangers stood shoulder to shoulder to say farewell to Harold Jellicoe Percival.

The 99-year-old was the one of the last remaining members of the WWII’s Dambusters team.

He had remained single after the one and only love of his life Jessie Campbell died of TB in 1935 and when he passed away no nearby family members could be found.

But today he was buried fittingly at 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month.

Harold’s body was carried into the chapel to the theme music to the film The Dambusters.

A community choir sang Jerusalem during the service and the coffin - draped in the RAF and Union flag - departed to the echo of the Last Post.

People had travelled hundreds of miles to pay tribute to a man they had never met.

Harold - who was nicknamed Coe - had lived at a nursing home in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, for the last two years.

For most of his life after the end of the war he had lived a nomadic existence.

Mr Percival’s nephew, David Worsell, who could not attend the funeral, said: “He was a private man.

“He worked in Australia for a number of years as a decorator and would visit England for holidays.

“He travelled around England with only his backpack.

“He didn’t have a postal address - he just used to get everything sent to my mother’s address and would go through it when they met up.”

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There was a guard of honour for Harold staged by soldiers, sailors, marines and his beloved RAF.

Even American airforce personnel travelled from their base in Oxford to attend.

Police outriders ensured the cortege got to the service in time.

Undertaker Eddie Jacobs said: “It shows people do care. This was a 99-year-old man with only a couple of very distant relatives who as a war hero was going to his last resting place alone. The British people responded like only the British can.”

Harold served as groundcrew at 671’s squadron airfield at Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire, home to 617 Squadron.

His job was to prepare the aircraft which returned to get ready for the next raids.

One of his tasks was to remove the dead bodies of aircrew shot up by the Germans.

(Image: PA)

He was last remaining member of the famous unit until his death last week .

As funeral director Eddie Jacobs could not trace any relatives he decided that he should try, at least, to boost the congregation at Harold’s funeral which would others have been just his own pall-bearers and rest home staff.

Placing the death notice in a local paper he asked for anyone who had armed service connections to try and spare the time to turn up at the funeral.

Spurred on by social networking, retired and serving personnel gathered in their hundreds to salute as Harold’s coffin passed them by.

And the man who started the social networking phenomena was at the service.

Retired police officer Martin Cooper saw the public notice in his local paper and copied it.

“I put it on Facebook,” said Martin. “The following day I realised it had gone viral. Everyone from all parts of the world were logging on.

“It went on message boards everywhere. I had to come today because fell felt I knew Harold even thought he was a complete stranger to me.

"The ntoice about his funeral begging people to come along was so sad I thought put it on the internet and people might turn up.”

“Little did I know it was be like a full military funeral,” added Martin who lives in St Annes.

(Image: facebook.com)

One of the wreaths came from a Jessie Parker.

Her note said: “I did not know Coe personally but when I read about his passing I was sickened to think no one would attend his funeral.”

Rest home matron Janet Wareing said: “All these people never knew the man who liked to be called just Coe.

"But they have come here to pay their last respects - amazing something so very British about it all.

“He was a cantankerous old man at times but also a forthright and proud man.”

“He would not say much but he would tell us about Jessie, his adventures in Australia, his work as a fisherman and Bomber Command.”

The Rev Alan Clark told the congregation: “It seemed Harold Jellicoe Percival’s funeral would be sparsely attended, if indeed anyone would attend.

“But you have come in numbers surpassing anything that was expected. You come not because you knew him, but because each of us are part of each other.

"We have a common humanity.”

Harold was given his middle name after the famous Admiral Jellicoe and today Harold had his few minutes of fame.

“It’s just staggering,” his nephew, Andre Collyer-Worsell, said after attending the service.

“It just shows how great the British public are.

“He was not a hero, he was just someone who did his duty in World War Two, just as his brother and sister did and his father before him in World War One.

“We were expecting a few people, a few local veterans but suddenly it snowballed.

“It’s the sort of send-off you would want to give any loved one. It’s very emotional.”