Tributes have been paid to Britain's oldest Second World War submariner following his death at the age of 101.
War hero Harry Melling, from Wigan, served with the Royal Navy between 1939 and 1945 - keeping British coastlines safe from Nazi U-boats and protecting Allied convoys.
Wigan Borough Armed Forces HQ announced his death on its Facebook page yesterday (September 21).
A post read: "On Sunday 19th September 2021 Harry passed away peacefully in his sleep at the age of 101.
"He was an amazing man, loved by everyone he met because of his character, integrity, honesty, ability to make people laugh for his outspoken sense of humour and because he defined the word Gentleman.
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"Harry was the last surviving Submariner having served for our country in the Second World War.
"Harry, we will miss you more than you’ll ever know.
"Goodnight, and God bless to an amazing man."
During Harry's years as a crew member of HMS Osiris, the submarine was stationed in the Mediterranean, helping the Allied invasion of Sicily, and travelled as far as Kenya.
Speaking previously about his service, Harry said: “The Mediterranean was a hot sea, it was far too busy and it was very dangerous. It was more or less only submarines operating there.
“However, it was a good life on board. I got to do things and see things I would never have normally done or seen.
“We had to go all round the south of Africa and then up to Kenya because it would have been too dangerous otherwise. I must admit for someone of my ilk to be going to the middle of Africa was an eye-opener.
"I was only in my early twenties so it was a real education.
“The place was still British at the time and everyone knew the British. The Kenyan people were as British as a lot of English people were, although they spoke with a different accent.
“On board a submarine it was quiet. When you dived you stayed down as long as you could and you were waiting for something to happen.
“You weren’t stirring things up, you weren’t creating a situation, but if something did happen you were just hoping you would be there.
“It was quite claustrophobic and the smell after diving was foul, although you got accustomed to it. It wasn’t hectic on a submarine, you got your sleep.
"We got on each other’s nerves a bit but when we went into combat it broke that up.”
Harry, a widower with no children, hit the headlines in 2017 when he was brutally robbed and pushed to the floor in the hallway of his own home in a sickening attack.
The former church warden vowed to bounce back and, in November 2018, he was invited to the Submariners’ Remembrance Service in London where he met the Duke of Cambridge.
At the time, Harry said: “He was a gentleman and it was nice to meet, chat to him and talk about what it was like during the war.”
In 2019, Harry's great-nephew Matthew pushed him across the line at the Wigan half marathon in his wheelchair to raise funds for ex-soldiers.
Harry later moved to the Alexandra Grange care home in Pemberton but was forced to shelve plans for a big birthday bash last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Hundreds of well-wishers sent cards to the care home while staff sang Happy Birthday to Harry.
One of the Royal Navy's youngest sailors even hand-delivered a set of wooden-carved dolphins to his care home.
