As four black horses and a carriage carrying Bob Crow's coffin turned into the main road at about 12.30pm, union members, admirers and wellwishers fell into line for a traditional East End funeral procession.

For one admirer of the 52-year-old late RMT leader who came to Woodford in east London from the other side of town, the coffin seemed too small for such an imposing figure. "Bob Crow was such a big man and that coffin looked so small," she said.

A picture of Bob Crow is displayed outside Wanstead tube station. Photograph: Andrew Cowie/REX

Terry Hutt, 79, had come from Cambridge with his own handwritten message complete with a red heart, which read: "Bob Crow. Truly irreplaceable." Hutt praised Crow for standing up for pensioners. "He looked after pensioners, he always supported us," said Hutt.

Others who had gathered on a sunny day praised him for his warmth despite his combative image.

"He needed to be combative to stand up to the bosses," said Jennie Formby, political director of the Unite union. "But he was also incredibly thoughtful … He demonstrated what you could achieve for workers through solidarity and by standing up for workers. That his members were the best paid is testimony for everything he stood for."

The four horses that pulled the coffin had blue and white plumes, the colours of Millwall FC, the club Crow supported. Two black cars carried friends and family members, including Crow's partner, Nicola Hoarau, 50, and his four children.

As the procession passed a primary school, some of the children in the playground peered through the fence at the spectacle of men and women bearing aloft colourful union branch banners.

The cortege arrived at the City of London cemetery and crematorium in Manor Park 30 minutes later to cheers and clapping. The crowd, which included members of the Socialist Workers party with their red banners with a yellow fist, observed a two-minute silence before breaking into further cheers and applause.

Bob Crow's funeral procession arrives at the City of London Cemetery Photograph: Fred Duval/Getty Images

Helen Howlett, a carpenter by trade and former member of the GMB union, a fellow East Ender from Bermondsey, admired Crow's courage.

"He was somebody who was not afraid to take on the establishment. He fought for decent pay and decent working conditions," she said. "He achieved a lot in his lifetime. I hope his successor is going to be just as strong as him."

Tony Nicholson, who is training to be an electrical engineer for the National Grid, said there were not many general secretaries that would have made him take the day off.

"I saw him speak, he was inspiring, he said what others should have said about the banking crisis. He stood out. He was not just a union general secretary, he had strong principles."

The funeral service was private, at the request of Crow's family. Tributes will also be paid on May Day, with a special event being planned in London.