Tributes were paid to incredible war veteran and ex-prisoner of war Jack Ransom at his funeral service at Clyde Coast and Garnock Valley Crematorium on Friday.
The life of Jack, who died on August 4 at the remarkable age of 103, was celebrated with a full Royal British Legion parade and march towards the crematorium.
The hearse carrying Jack's coffin arrived to the skirl of the bagpipesin a poignant sight, with the skirl of the bagpipes proving very apt for the man christened 'The Scottish Cockney', who served as president of the Royal British Legion's Largs branch when he was 100.
Reverend Dr Graham McWilliams of St Columba's Parish and Fairlie Church conducted the service, which included a moving eulogy by MP Patricia Gibson,
Dr McWilliams said: "We come together to share our sense of loss and to remember with celebration and thanks the life of Jack who many of us have come to know over the years as a solider, a former Prisoner of War, a gentleman with charisma, and as he became, a local celebrity.
"We give thanks for not Jack's life but for his legacy because Jack came from humble beginnings in Peckham in South London and he rose to inspire us all.
"Because of all he experienced in his life, with experiences that traumatised him which he kept private for so long, Jack was firmly rooted in his faith that he shared with his wife Maddie.
"For this man who experienced what no person would want to experience, coming back from the Second World War, at only five stone.
"Jack was 103 years old, and it was a life well lived, for the joy Jack found in the love of his first wife Helen; a love that sustained him through the war years as a prisoner on the Railway of Death, and he managed to survive the atrocities of war that we will never fully comprehend, and he returned to marry Helen, and have a successful career with Standard Life which gave him some normality.
"Following Helen's sad passing, he found love again with his marriage to Joyce, which continued to bring him new life and hope.
"After the sad passing of of Joyce, Jack found his beloved Maddie who he met in the local supermarket, and she comforted Jack, and celebrated life with him until the Lord called him home.
"As we mourn the loss of Jack, we celebrate an incredible man.
"When Jack was liberated he was only five stone in weight but he put on weight the second time he re-visited many years later, as he had found a new peace and acceptance of who he was and his experiences had new meaning.
"And when re-visiting, he was encouraged by a group of Americans he met to write a book about his memoirs, and so 'The Scottish Cockney' was born - an outgoing, humourous local celebrity.
"Because Jack was such a big part of all our lives, life will never be the same again, and that is exactly how it should be, and he continues to give us all strength."
Ms Gibson, a friend of Jack and his family, said: "Jack was an optimistic and indefatigable character who lived his life to the very fullest always with a twinkle in his eye and story to tell.
"We celebrate Jack's life and for knowing him we are all richer. Over the years Jack also involved art, gardening and golf, but most of all he enjoyed good company.
"His zest for life belied his years and he had the spark and vigour of a much younger man.
"From humble beginnings in Peckham, born to a family already ravaged by the First World War, Jack reported to his drill hall in the September 1 1939 to do his bit in the Second World War, and he couldn't possibly have guessed then that this would take him to the Burmese Railway of Death.
"Transported there over five days in steel wagons by the Japanese after the fall of Singapore, with 30-35 men to each truck, many of his fellow prisoners succumbed to dysentry, cholera and malnutrition. Of 13,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers forced to work on the River Kwai, Jack is believed to be the last survivor.
"His resilience sustained him through so much - and despite the tragedies Jack suffered in personal life, he never lost his optimistic outlook on life.
"He loved being in company and always looked for the best in people, an even refers to his Japanese guards as having a sense of humour at times.
"He was always keen to reach his 100th birthday milestone, and despite the best efforts of his Japanese captors, Jack had the last laugh as old age is very much revered in Japan.
"Jack's sense of humour and mischievous twinkle in his eye never left him, and indeed, I think that was an explanation for his longevity, and Jack's philosophy was that life could be dull if you let it, and he worked hard every day to make sure he never let dullness into this life.
"Returning to Scotland in 2008, Jack settled in Largs and at Cumbrae Court where he lived he made a great many friends, and met his future wife Maddie at the checkout at Morrisons' Supermarket.
"In 2009, Jack returned to the Far East, and as he stood in Singapore Airport, 64 years after leaving it, reflecting that as he stood there the airport stood on the very site of what had been a Japanese military airfield where he and his colleagues had worked under the stern eye of their captors.
"This was an important journey for Jack, as he remembered his colleagues who he had lost, and he never forgot his colleagues, as we will never forget Jack.
"Jack is and was a true hero - and took life as it came, a gentleman, and a gentle man, and someone who it was a privilege to know."
The Piper's Lament then followed as Jack was given a full military send-off by the Royal British Legion.
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