TOUCHING tributes have been paid to one of Redditch’s last Second World War veterans who was a ‘hero’ a ‘dream dad’ and a ‘gentleman’.
Kind words for Sidney Reynolds came flooding in after Thomas Brothers Funeral Directors posted a picture of the service for the 91-year-old on social media. More than 50 comments were made describing him as a ‘true gentleman’ who was ‘loved and respected by all’.
His daughter, Joan Evans, was overwhelmed to see more than 600 people read the post speaking of how he touched their lives and was an unforgettable man.
She said: “I couldn’t believe it when I looked and saw the amount of likes and shares. he just touched so many people.
“He was fantastic man and a great dad. Everyone who knew him loved him.”
Joan told the Standard how Sid was a hoarder who never threw anything away and after he died they discovered bags full of old photographs they had never seen.
“I once found a Woolworth’s receipt from 1956 and when I asked him why he kept it, he always said the same thing, ‘you never know, it might come in handy.”
Everyone spoke fondly of Sid’s stories from his time serving in the Navy. Joan added: “He told me once that he nearly shot a local man in Greece during the war by accident. He was behind him and he started talking to him. He turned around and nearly shot him. He was full stories. He didn’t talk much about the action he saw but he always told us the funny stories.”
Sid was also a personal friend of the team at Thomas Brothers, who hung the British flag at half mast for the Royal Navy serviceman whom Simon Thomas said was a ‘true hero’.
He said: “He was always full of stories of his time at sea. Sid also told us of his father’s time during the First World War when he was seriously wounded during the battle of the Somme.
“We managed to take Sid to see his uncle’s Victoria Cross, won during the First World War which brought a tear to his eye.”
