THE life of former soldier John Slater, who earned the nickname Doolittle when he rescued a tiny deer fawn, will be celebrated next week.

John, a veteran of 22 years in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, hit the headlines in 2014 after spotting the little muntjac injured in the road as he was on his way to a job in Chipping Campden. He thought it was a bit of discarded carpet until it squeaked.

Strawberry, named after her favourite food, survived and because she couldn’t be released back into the wild, she became a pet, living in a shed at his Malmesbury home and roaming the house and garden like one of his dogs.

John, who had done all sorts of jobs including farming and working in the docks at Bristol before joining up, moved his family to the town after serving all his military career in Germany. His daughter Becki said her mum Lynn loved it in Germany so much he would always request to stay there whenever he was due to be posted.

Back in the UK John became a fork-lift engineer while Lynn worked as a carer at Burnham and then Athelstan House.

He was bereft when she died after being diagnosed with cervical cancer. “He never ever got over losing my mum,” said Becki.

He found comfort in throwing himself in to helping others, whether it was nursing sick seagulls back to health, getting involved with Malmesbury Victoria Football Club or raising money for charities.

“He was just a genuinely nice guy. He would help anybody with anything. Dad was definitely a doer. He just wanted to help other people. He made so many friends through the football club."

One of his missions was to raise money for Dorothy House Hospice in memory of Lynn. In 2014 that meant doing a parachute jump with Becki. A year later it was sacrificing his trademark moustache.

Last month he was diagnosed with lung cancer and he died on February 26, aged 71. Becki said: “For the past 12 years he was ready to be with Mum.”

He leaves three children, Damien, who followed his father into the forces, Becki and Tom, who will carry on caring for Strawberry, as well as five grandchildren.

A funeral service will be held at Holy Cross, Sherston on March 16.