A family plea has been put out for people to line the streets and attend the funeral of a hero World War Two veteran who has died aged 106.

John Meacham, known as Jack to his family and friends, was awarded the prestigious Arctic Star medal for his service during the conflict.

The 'strong-willed' veteran reached the rank of Chief Steward when serving in the Navy - and now relatives want him to get 'the best send-off possible' after his passing from natural causes on May 9.

A callout has now been issued for military personnel and the public to line the route to the crematorium for his funeral on Thursday at Portchester Crematorium, near Portsmouth.

Two platoons of sailors from HMS Collingwood and HMS Excellent have answered the call and will be involved in the procession, alongside standard bearers.

Jack grew up in Aldershot in Hampshire and later moved to Portsmouth to start his military career that would run between 1938 and 1952.

His grandson Greg Meacham said: 'I know he would have hated the fuss, but from our side, he absolutely deserves the tribute for him. We're massively proud of his service.

'He's a war hero and the loveliest man you would ever meet. He would do anything for anyone. His drive was amazing, and a lot of people can look at him and learn from it.

'He was a proud man, very strong-willed - sometimes stubborn, fiercely independent and a very good cook.'

Funeral director Debi Searson thanked the Royal Naval Association for the 'hard work of contacting people and putting this online which has resulted in such a lovely response from so many people'.

She added: 'It is our pleasure to look after such wonderful people and their families and an honour to try and give people the best send-off possible.

'Anyone else who has helped, then Jack's family and all of us at Searsons would like to express our sincere thanks.'

Grandson Greg told how Jack 'always wanted to join the Royal Navy' and described it as 'the best thing he has ever done', adding: 'He absolutely loved it.

'He liked telling stories and was very humble about it. He didn't want any fuss about serving in the war. He would hate all this happening on Thursday.

'He was a modest man and would talk about people he knew in the war and friends he lost. Many of the stories he told were quite unbelievable.'

During the 1940s Jack had a fortunate escape when he was near offices opposite Portsmouth Dockyard when they were bombed by the Luftwaffe.

Greg said: 'The bomb went through the roof and down a few floors, but never detonated.

'I always remember him saying he was a "lucky man" on that day. If it had gone off, a lot of people would have died.'

On another occasion his ship came face-to-face with an Italian destroyer.

Greg said: 'I remember him saying that could have wiped him out. They fired warning shots at them and the Italians ran off.'

After the war, Jack primarily worked as an electrician and maintenance worker.

He had one son John, who would go on to have two sons Greg and Kevin. Jack's wife Peggy passed away in 1989.

He went on to have a long-term relationship with his partner Jan before she died four years ago aged 105.

Jack continued doing handyman jobs for the Harry Sotnick House care home in Portsmouth even after reaching his century.

He lived independently, did his own shopping while also cooking for himself and his son who would visit five times a week.

Greg said: 'He wanted to keep busy. Up until the age of 105, he was living independently. That was amazing about him.'

In June last year, the day before Greg's wedding, Jack was told that he needed end-of-life care after catching Covid-19 and a chest infection - yet he was sitting up in bed the next day wishing his grandson the best for the ceremony.

Greg added: 'Being 105 and seeing his son pass away, he was distraught.

'The family then jumped in to help, but he wouldn't let us cook for him and begrudgingly allowed us to do his shopping for him.

'I remember taking my grandad to Harry Sotnick House where Jan was during Covid.

'They were sitting outside holding hands. It was the most heartbreaking thing I'd ever seen, both of them wanting to be closer to each other.'

Jack's funeral is scheduled for 10.30am on June 4 at Portchester Crematorium.