WITH the death, aged 96, of Martin Edward Ashburner, Milnthorpe has lost its oldest native-born inhabitant whose life linked both World Wars.

Ashburners are recorded locally in the 17th century and Martin, except for his war service, spent his whole life in Milnthorpe.

He is believed to have been the village's last surviving veteran of the Second World War and was the longest member of the Milnthorpe Branch of the Royal British Legion, whose banner was carried at his funeral.

Born in October 1920 he was named after his uncles Marin and Edward, who were both killed on the Western Front, Martin in May 1916 and Edward in April 1918.

The story goes that the family was awoken by a crash at the dead of night when a picture of the soldier boys fell to the floor. According to local tradition this was regarded as an omen of death.

The next day a war office telegram arrived stating that the younger lad, Edward, had been killed shortly after he had reached the battle zone. A few days later another telegram confirmed that Marin had been killed two years earlier.

Young Martin Edward grew up in a cottage on Harmony Green which was, at length, the family's home for more than 100 years.

He attended Milnthorpe's St Thomas', School and then the Boy's National school and after being the Co-op Store's errand boy, began full-time work at Beetham Paper Mill.

Always sociable, he was a keen player in Milnthorpe Corinthians Football club and was in the team which won a championship cup in 1937.

While barely out of his teens he began his war service as an 'ack-ack' ant-aircraft gun artillery soldier in the North East. Then, as the war against Japan hotted up in the Far East, he was drafted to Burma, where he was frequently in the front line, though he rarely spoke of his experiences.

On demobilisation Martin went back to the paper mill where he became a well-respected foreman.

Gradually his involvement in football made way for his most successful hobby of pigeon fancying, in which he won 200 prizes and many trophies. For 20 years he was secretary of the South Westmorland and North Lancashire pigeon league.

In 1948 he married a Milnthorpe girl, May Wilkinson. After first living in Police Square they moved in 1955 to a brand new house on Riley Field Road, where Martin died peacefully on September 13.

Sadly, May died suddenly and prematurely, aged 60, in 1982.

Martin remained healthy until well into his 80s when he broke his hip which curtailed his activities including his patronage of the Coach and Horses, where he was a popular 'regular'.

He is survived by his three sons, John, Robert and Michael, ten grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Three grandsons and a great-grandson acted as bearers at the well-attended funeral service, which was conducted by Roger Bingham at Milnthorpe Parish Church.

Then, on a golden autumn day, Martin was buried in the church cemetery close to the graves of many of his forebears.