A FYLDE man who died nine days before he was to receive the MBE has been posthumously awarded the honour.

Retired serviceman Stanley Evans, who lived in Pilling, knew he was getting the award but died before it could be announced in the Queen's Birthday Honours list.

But Buckingham Palace officials agreed to backdate the honour and Mr Evans was buried on Monday with the MBE title.

The 83-year-old war veteran's funeral was held at St John's Church in Blackpool town centre. Standard bearers for veterans' associations, including the Burma Star and Fellowship of the Services in Blackpool, formed a guard of honour and the Royal Marine Band played in tribute to the former prisoner of war.

Mr Evans served in the Second World War throughout the Malaysian campaign, was imprisoned by the Japanese, and worked on the Burma Siam railway during his captivity.

The MBE recognised his dedicated service to the Blackpool and Fylde Far Eastern Prisoners of War Association (FEPWA), for which he was both treasurer and welfare officer for many years.

Ned Peake, chairman of the Blackpool and Fylde FEPWA, said: "The funeral went very well -- it was very well attended. It was really a celebration of Mr Evans' life.

"I would describe him as an asset to the organisation. He was a dedicated person. He had been the welfare officer a good number of years and he was still doing the treasurer's job when he died.

"A lot of our widows need information and they need help some times and whenever they picked the phone up he would attend to the matter straight away.

"He was extremely generous with his time and will be a great loss to the association."

Leading Lancashire probation officer and Blackpool resident Mary Whyham has also been awarded the MBE. Mary, who is also a non-executive director of Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre community health services NHS trust, is being awarded the title in recognition of her services to the probation service.