Soldiers will pay a touching tribute to a Second World War veteran at his funeral this week.
John Cornwell from Cheltenham was the youngest survivor of the D-Day landings in Normandy in 1944.
He passed away on May 19, aged 94.
Ahead of his death, Mr Cornwell had asked for his coffin to be carried by soldiers at his funeral, reports GloucestershireLive.
Granting his wish, six members of Chepstow-based 1 RIFLES will act as pallbearers at the service on Thursday, June 10.
Chair of the Royal British Legion in Cheltenham, retired RAF wing commander Roy Roberts, said: “John was a long-time member of the Royal British Legion and a poppy seller.
"His earnest wish, expressed to me and his family, was that ‘soldiers carry me into church when it's my time’.
“Accordingly, we have arranged for six riflemen from 1 RIFLES in Chepstow to act as pallbearers, in full uniform, and they will carry the coffin from the hearse into the church.
“Also, three buglers from the battalion will be present to sound the Last Post inside the church.
"Additionally, standards from Royal British Legion branches Cheltenham and Woodmancote & Bishop’s Cleeve will be paraded and precede the coffin procession.”
Mr Cornwell will be laid to rest at Cheltenham Cemetery following a service at St Mary’s Church in Prestbury.
Mourners will be wearing poppy red, rather than black, to honour his commitment to the Royal British Legion.
Mr Cornwell was part of the Glosters’ 2nd Battalion, 56th Infantry Brigade during the D-Day landings in 1944, aged 17.
His platoon landed behind the Royal Hampshire Regiment on a section of the beach called Jig Green before advancing to Bayeux.
In 2016, he was awarded France's highest honour, the Legion d’honneur.
Mr Cornwell's family confirmed he passed away peacefully at his home on Wednesday, May 19.
