I switched on my local news channel today to see Lytham Crematorium in Lancashire packed with strangers - all of them honouring a man they never even knew. Harold Percival, who died recently aged 99, had few remaining friends or family to attend his funeral. Until, that is, the funeral director appealed for mourners to come forward. The story was soon picked up by Twitter, Facebook, Buzz Feed and finally by the national press - with amazing results. Hundreds of people from all over the country turned up to pay their respects on a cold wet and miserable day, giving the veteran the farewell he deserved. Here are just some of the headlines:
Tom Phillips Buzz Feed Harold Jellicoe Percival, a veteran of Bomber Command in WWII, died last month aged 99. The death notice in his local paper said that there was nobody to attend his funeral.
Twitter picked up the story, in the hope that somebody might be able to attend.
I hope this newspaper listing means some service personnel attend this guy's funeral.
They did, of course. And the rest is now just history.
