A LONG-time Clacton resident and Second World War veteran has died, aged 91.

Cyril Spouncer, who was born on March 28, 1922, died peacefully at a nursing home in Norwich on March 25.

Mr Spouncer was born and educated in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, and was the grandson of England and Nottingham Forest footballer Alfie Spouncer, who played in Forest’s 1898 FA Cup-winning team.

He entered war service in 1942 with the Royal Engineers serving as a specialist in combined operations seeing active service in Sicily and Italy.

Mr Spouncer survived three Allied invasion landings – Sicily, Salerno and Anzio – and was involved in the Battle of Monte Cassino in 1943.

Following the war, he joined the humanitarian effort to build settlement camps in Graz and Vienna for the thousands of refugees from all over Europe and Asia.

He spent his professional working life as a town planner and moved to Clacton with wife Audrey in 1970 to work for Tendring Council.

He retired in 1977 and was active in the local community, becoming a member of Clacton Probus Club in 1986 and a regular on the greens of Millers Barn Golf Park on Jaywick Lane.

After his wife died in 1990, he began travelling extensively, visiting Australia, India and the Far East, including an emotional return to Italy in 1994 to participate in the Reconciliation Events organised for the 50th anniversary of the Cassino campaign.

He died peacefully in Woodside House Nursing Home, Norwich, after a few months of ill-health.

Mr Spouncer leaves son Stephen and daughter Celia, grandchildren Orlagh, Sebastian, Nicolas and Casper, and his sister Muriel.