A SPECIAL service was held by the Royal British Legion at the funeral of Salisbury’s last Coldstream Guardsman to have served during the Second World War.
Arthur George Raddon died on December 11 at the age of 87 following a stroke, and his funeral took place at St Thomas’s Church on Thursday.
And honour guard, accompanied by standards of Salisbury’s branch of the Royal British Legion, was formed to commemorate Mr Raddon’s life.
Mr Raddon, who was born in Honiton and lived most of his life in Salisbury, served with the Coldstream Guards from May 1944 until the end of the war.
He remained in Germany with the occupation forces, guarding high ranking officials suspected of war crimes, until 1947.
Mr Raddon was well known in Salisbury and often seen around the city on his Raleigh bike. He kept three allotments, producing vegetables, and was always ready to share his knowledge and advice.
His son, Derek, was joined by family and many friends at the funeral service, conducted by Reverend Canon Alan Gill, before a wake at the Royal British Legion club in Endless Street.
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