A MIX-UP resulted in few flowers at guerilla war veteran Alec Baird's funeral.

Upset mourners were mystified when floral tributes didn't arrive in time for 59 year-old Mr Baird's funeral service at Holy Family Church, Boothstown.

"It looked as if nobody cared," said Mr Baird's younger sister, Kath, after the burial at Tyldesley Cemetery - a hundred yards from where he lived and died.

Forty years ago Alec Baird featured in The Journal after capturing terrorists who'd ambushed his unit during the Malayan uprising.

He died shortly before his 60th birthday. His body was discovered by Police who broke into his home after relatives became concerned because he hadn't been seen.

They found him lying on a couch having been dead for several days.

Mr Baird's friend, Neville Crowther, of Tyldesley said:"Everybody commented on the missing flowers. It was a good job we took some with us."

Relatives and friends had ordered flowers directly from a local florist without the undertakers' involvement and a florist's spokesman said a taxi firm had been employed to deliver the flowers.

"It was very unfortunate. The driver simply didn't do what he was told to do.

"A taxi was ordered for 8.30am and that morning the driver came into our shop with a bill and he was paid. He never said he had not delivered the flowers. I'm just lost for words. How could they miss a funeral?" he asked.

Tyldesley town centre-based Astley Cabs proprietor Barry Knowles said: "We were told to deliver flowers to the funeral home but when our driver arrived it was closed.

"Having other jobs to do he decided to return later and delivered the flowers direct to the cemetery because the funeral service had started in church.

"He went to the cemetery and placed them close to an open grave."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.