A former member of the Royal Armoured Corps, the Rev Hugh Elliot, 81, was born in Hampstead, London, and went to Cheltenham College and Sandhurst.

A former member of the Royal Armoured Corps, the Rev Hugh Elliot, 81, was born in Hampstead, London, and went to Cheltenham College and Sandhurst.

He was commissioned into the Royal Hussars, joining the regiment 10 days after the D-Day landing and serving in Normandy, where he was wounded twice, and at Bremmerhaven. During his 13 years in the army, he was an adjutant with the Warwickshire Yeomanry, retiring as a substantive captain.

After leaving the army, he joined a firm of agricultural engineers and spent most of his time selling cars to Americans on an airbase.

He and his wife Sue were married in October 8 1955 at Weybread church, near Harleston, and three years later Mr Elliot decided to become a priest.

He was ordained at Swaffham in 1962, and by the time he was moved to Rushmere, in the Kessingland Group, his family was complete with three daughters and a son.

In August 1968 he was appointed to Yaxham where he remained for 12 years. He then felt a move would be beneficial, and bucked the norm by asking if he could go to East Harling, near Thetford, which was acceptable to both the bishop and parish.

Mr Elliot was at East Harling from 1980 until ill health forced his early retirement 12 years later.

He continued to serve the church after moving to Alburgh, near Bungay, where his talents as a priest were employed not only in the Earsham group of parishes, but also in the nearby Hempnall group.

He and his wife spent a lot of their retirement travelling and when this was no longer possible, Mr Elliott enjoyed working in his garden.

A private funeral service was held on Monday at the Earlham Road crematorium, Norwich, and a memorial service is planned at Alburgh in July.