A KENDAL grandfather dubbed ‘Britain’s most patriotic man’ after serving as a Beefeater, a member of the Queen’s bodyguard and a wartime Spitfire engineer has died, aged 93.

From humble beginnings working in a butcher’s shop, Geoffrey Abbott’s extraordinary life saw him go on to serve in the RAF during WWII, endure a torpedo attack, ‘behead’ the likes of Tony Robinson and Helen Skelton on TV, become a torture expert, live in the Tower of London, and offer his opinion on the execution of Saddam Hussein.

Born in Moss Side, Manchester, Mr Abbott left home on his 17th birthday to join the RAF. The next 35 years were spent touring the world with postings in Kenya, Egypt, Malta, Iraq, Germany and Holland.

In 1974 he transferred from one duty of service to another as he was appointed a yeoman warder at HM Tower of London (Beefeater).

While living and working in the Tower, Mr Abbott became something of an expert on torture, later writing more than 25 books and appearing on a number of TV shows wielding an axe or something equally threatening.

So respected was his opinion that the New York Times consulted him on the execution of Saddam Hussein.

He was also called on to write entries for Britannica’s Encyclopaedia on Torture and Execution.

Although his duty of service opened up many remarkable opportunities (including correspondence with Ronald Reagan) some invitations had to be declined – including a request to help choose an American president.

He left the Tower in 1982 and moved to Grange-over-Sands and later to Kendal, where he served as Kendal Town Council mace-bearer, and later sword-bearer, after seeing an advert in The Westmorland Gazette.

And he showed no signs of slowing down in his 10th decade, taking to flying helicopters on weekends.

His wife Shelagh, who he married in 1964, died more than 20 years ago.

Mr Abbott is survived by twin stepchildren Robert Bradley and Mary Waddington, and step-grandson Humphrey Waddington.

After cremation his ashes will be scattered over Tower Green at the Tower of London.

Speaking to the Gazette in 2014 on the release of his autobiography, ‘From Butcher’s Boy to Beefeater’, Mr Abbott said: "Having served for over 65 years in uniform, mine has been a hectic, sometimes scary, life, but rarely boring, and given the chance, I’d do it all again."