Hundreds are expected to attend the funeral of a World War II veteran who died alone in Ipswich Hospital, following a heartfelt gesture from the Ipswich RSL sub-branch.
Brian Fortune, a British-born soldier who spent five years as a prisoner of war, passed away last month aged 95, with no family or next of kin.
Ipswich RSL sub-branch secretary Debbie Wadwell said they were deeply saddened by the news of Mr Fortune’s lonely passing.
“It’s a very sad situation, and we hope it never happens again,” she said.
“When the hospital approached us to see if there was anything we could do, we jumped at the chance to assist and give him a wonderful send-off.
“It’s tragic that he died alone, but now we can all come together to say goodbye.”
Ipswich RSL sub-branch vice president Paul Rogers and secretary Debbie Wadwell are organising Mr Fortune’s funeral
Ms Wadwell said they have experienced an outpouring of support from the community, following their social media post on Monday evening inviting veterans and members of the public to attend Mr Fortune’s funeral.
“More than 200,000 people have seen our Facebook post, and the community’s response to it has been overwhelming to say the least,” she said.
“Ipswich and the surrounding communities have been outstanding; they are always there to assist when required which really shows the compassion of our community.
“There is a woman making paper poppies as her contribution to the service.
“The Queensland Police Service has offered the services of Pipe Major Patrick Murphy to play the bagpipes, and Brad Strong from the Bundamba Salvation Army will play the Last Post.
“Defence personnel have also rallied together, with official mourners set to attend the funeral from the Amberley Royal Australian Air Force Base and Enoggera Barracks.
“The post has gone viral spreading as far as the United Kingdom, with so many people trying to help us find a living relative.
“We are so humbled and grateful.”
Ms Wadwell said they were humbled by the interest their Facebook post generated
Ms Wadwell said they had been slowly piecing together parts of Mr Fortune’s life.
“He served with the 6th Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry,” she said.
“He was a prisoner of war for just over five years. We believe he was among those that were captured in 1940 before Dunkirk.
“As for his time in Australia, we’ve been told he liked to keep to himself.”
Mr Fortune’s funeral will be held on Monday, 9 March at 2pm at the Goodna Crematorium on Stuart Street, with attendees encouraged to wear their military medals.
