В Колчестере с почестями похоронили 95-летнего ветерана британской армии сержанта Энджиона Атертона

A respected veteran who served around the world has been laid to rest. Sergeant Eugene James (Jim) Atherton, a former Royal Green Jackets sergeant and long-time Mersea Island resident, died aged 95 on August 3. He was born in Liverpool and joined the military at just 15, serving in the Green Jackets regiment from 1946 to 1975 and retired while stationed in Shoeburyness. Mr Atherton's funeral took place on Wednesday, August 19, with a procession leaving his Mersea Island home at 11.30am and arriving at Colchester Crematorium for a 12.15pm service. Sonia Minhus, his granddaughter said: “He was a very lovely and kind man.” “He was very passionate about his garden, he loved gardening and very protective over his loved ones.” Although the funeral was a private affair for friends and family, members of the military community also gathered to pay their respects after a Facebook post invited members of the community to attend. Tracey Fowler, who had been Mr Atherton’s neighbour for 10 years, said: "James was such a lovely, kind and gentle soul, you couldn’t help but love him. "We had quite a few people from the later Green Jackets regiment contact me and they turned up at the crematorium. "There were also people from the Parachute Regiment in Colchester, as well as people from other regiments who came to pay their respects. "It was a very emotional and a lovely service." Representatives from the City of London Royal Army Medical Corps and the Parachute Regimental Association also attended, alongside members of other regiments. Two individuals who served with Mr Atherton as part of the Royal Green Jackets also attended the funeral. Mr Atherton was part of the Ex RB, 3GJ, and 3RGJ bands, playing bass trombone, bass drum, and trumpet which he joined in the 1950s.