The Royal British Legion is appealing for people to attend the funeral of a 101-year-old Dunkirk and D-Day veteran.

Eastern Daily Press: George Smith during his war service. Picture: Submitted.George Smith during his war service. Picture: Submitted. (Image: Archant)

George Smith, a former royal engineer in the army and recipient of the Légion d'honneur medal, died on February 26 in Mundesley.

But the British legion fears that his funeral at Cromer Parish Church on March 21 will have low attendance.

It is now calling on people to honour Mr Smith and pay their final respects to the Second World War veteran.

Mr Smith, who was born in Worstead, joined the royal engineers on June 1, 1940 and took part in the Dunkirk evacuation.

He followed this up with three years' service in Northern Ireland, doing mainly construction work. He later returned to Northern Ireland and talked to people there about his role in laying drains during the war.

Mr Smith returned to England in 1943 and in the summer of 1944 he sailed to Normandy with Montgomery's 21st Army Group and helped to bridge the Rivers Orme, Seine, Maas, Rhine and Elbe.

In August 1945 he went to Berlin and was demobbed in 1946.

• The funeral will be at Cromer Parish Church at 1.15pm on Tuesday, March 21, followed by interment at Cromer cemetery.