TRIBUTES have been paid to a ‘kind and loving’ war hero who has died at the age of 96.

Cyril Bartlett, from Walcot, died peacefully at the Great Western Hospital on January 20 with his son David by his side,

He was a familiar face to budding seafarers as the founder of the Swindon Sea Cadets and a decorated Second World War veteran who served in the Royal Navy for six years..

Cyril was also a devoted father to son David, 57, who praised his father’s strength and kindness.

“He was the most loving person, the most loving father, I could ever find,” he said.

“He was very calm. I never saw him get upset, get miserable or lose his temper. He was so level-headed and I was very proud of him.

Cyril was a lifelong Swindonian who spent his early years in his Curtis Street home. He attended Sanford Street School where he was given a book for saving a boy’s life by pulling him out of a river.

Despite the fact he couldn’t swim, Cyril joined the Navy in 1940 and even before he joined the war he had already established the first Swindon unit of the sea cadets in the town centre.

Cyril was known for his acting ability, never better shown than when he got creative during his Navy assessment

“He has always been short sighted and when he went for his medical, being an actor he memorised the eye chart and hid his glasses,” said David.

Cyril spent time aboard the HMS Vervain during the Second World War, which travelled deep into the Arctic Circle when he was barely out of his teens. He travelled the world with the Navy, visiting America, Jamaica, Asia and Russia.

Cyril was known for his kind and giving nature, when he was stationed in the United States he brought home candies for his young niece and nephews who were feeling the effects of rationing.

He was awarded an Arctic Star Medal in 2014 for his work in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.

And in February last year he was honoured with the Russian Ushakov medal for his services delivering supplies to Soviet forces between 1941 and 1945.

When Cyril left the Navy in 1946 he worked in the railway and in quality assurance at Garrards in Newcastle Street. There he met wife Rosalind, and the couple were married for more than 50 years..

He later founded and was commanding officer of the first sea cadet training centre at Wroughton in the early 70s.

David said he would forever treasure the memory of father and son watching Swindon Town beat Arsenal in the memorable 1969 League Cup Final.

Cyril’s funeral will be held at the Kingsdown Crematorium on February 15 at 1.15pm.