MEMBERS of the Ledbury branch of the Royal British Legion will act as coffin bearers at the funeral of a Burma Star veteran.

Frank Bradford died at St Michael's Hospice, aged 82, on May 13 following a short illness. His funeral will be at Bromesberrow Church on Tuesday at 2.30pm.

He is well known in Ledbury as the developer who first turned Foley House, in Bye Street, into a guest house, gave land for the creation of Bye Street car park and turned the town's dilapidated and disused cinema off Bank Crescent into the shops and offices which exist there today.

Anglers will know him as the developer and former owner of Waters-meet, at Hartpury, a popular hotel, restaurant and fishing resort.

But few know that Mr Bradford was a member of "The Forgotten Army" of Burma, and saw five years of action as the driver of British commander, General Younger.

His son, Tony said: "Dad had no youth, like most people of his generation. He was in Burma with the 14th Dragoons at the age of 18.

"In the first two weeks they were out there, they lost 250 men out of 600. He lived on tinned beef for five years, and I don't think he ate it afterwards."

He added: "His contemporaries will miss his business ideas and will remember the opportunities he created. When he developed the cinema, he used local workers, and always did."

Mr Bradford, who met General Younger once after the war at a Burma Star Association meeting in Chester, would describe how his former commander was an eccentric cavalry officer of the old school.

The general would order the car to stop on the lethal Burma Road so Japanese soldiers could be pointed out and shot at.

Mr Bradford, a corporal, drove the general around in a Chevrolet and used to "liberate" parts from US army vehicles, with the General's blessing, just to keep it going.

Very much a family man, Mr Bradford leaves a widow, Christine, to whom he was married for 57 years, and two sons, Tony and Peter.