A FORMER East Lancashire Regiment soldier who went on to document the burial places of all those who served in the regiment has died aged 92.

Richard Raymond Walsh, known as Ray, was born in Blackburn in 1925 and even played football for Blackburn Rovers Reserves in the school holidays.

He was proud to be a Bootham Old Scholar, from the school in York.

During the war he worked on midget submarines known as XCraft at Vickers Armstrong in Barrow, and was in the Civil Defence Corps there.

Mr Walsh then enlisted in the East Lancashire Regiment in Carlisle. His training and service was in Northern Ireland, where he passed out as champion recruit.

From there, he went to battle school in the Lake District as weapons instructor. He then returned to Carlisle as Company Orderly Sergeant in charge of drafts.

His daughter, Christine Hunt, of Mellor Brook, said: “Dad co-wrote and published 95 titles including the official World War Two record for Stonyhurst College, the seven Victoria Cross recipients of Stonyhurst and the four VCs of Blackburn.

“He also wrote a comprehensive record of the burial places of all those from the East Lancashire Regiment who were killed in both the First and Second World Wars.”

Mr Walsh was a benefactor of many charities, especially the East Lancashire Regiment, now the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, of which he was the chairman for the Blackburn branch.

Before his death, he received the Outstanding Service Regimental medal from his regiment.

He married Jean in 1949 and worked in the family business before retiring to enjoy cruising with his wife.

The family firm was The Hatchwell Company, Apex Mills, Randal Street, Blackburn, which was a well-known pet trade and pet medicines wholesalers.

Mr Walsh leaves daughter Christine and son-in-law Paul, son Jonathan and daughter-in-law Celine, seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

His funeral took place at Pleasington Cemetery, where and featured representatives from the British Legion and the Duke of Lancaster’s regimental bugler played The Last Post.