When Billy Aldridge entered the Rosewalk nursing home in Indianapolis last December, the only listed next-of-kin was that of a friend whose number no longer worked.

So when he passed away last month, staff at the nursing home and at the cremation company contracted to bury him, feared he was going to endure a lonely goodbye.

Billy Aldridge died in October with no known next of kin

Then they started playing detective, discovering a landlord who told them Mr Aldridge was a former US Marine, and reaching out through social media and the local paper to invite people to his service.

“We would like to encourage the public, especially any veterans, to attend this service and pay their respects to Mr Aldridge,” Eddie Beagles, of Legacy Cremation & Funeral Services, wrote on Facebook.

And oo on Tuesday, anywhere up to 1,200 people poured into the Lawrence United Methodist Church in Indianapolis to pay respects to the military veteran. The vast majority had not known him in life, but wanted to ensure he received a respectful funeral. Some people drove several hours to be there.

Among them were representatives of each of the military services.

“It felt good to be able to do this,” Carrie Gee, an employee of the funeral home, told The Independent.

Jennifer Hagan, a member of staff at the Rosewalk nursing home, said Mr Alridge had been “a good guy”.

“He was very simple and appreciative of everything you did for him,” she said. “Yesterday, the response from people was just overwhelming.’

She said she struggled to describe the sense of and camaraderie displayed by the other servicemen, many of them retired, who attended the service.