Tributes were paid to Gerald “Stapme” Stapleton, who died on 13 April, 2010.

Mr Stapleton, who was from Rutland, was a Battle of Britain pilot and was one of “The Few” whose heroics were immortalised in Churchill’s words.

Squadron leader Stapleton died aged 89, just a month short of his 90th birthday. There are around 100 of “The Few” left alive.

He lived out much of his retirement with wife Audrey in the Rutland village of Ketton.

He was one of the most outstanding fighter pilots of the Battle of Britain, accounting for nearly 20 enemy aircraft destroyed, probably destroyed or damaged.

Tall, blond and sporting a splendid handlebar moustache, he was the epitome of a dashing fighter pilot.

He was nicknamed “Stapme” a phrase used in his favourite Daily Mirror cartoon strip, Just Jane.

Born in South Africa in 1920 Basil Gerald Stapleton - but preferred Gerald - he joined the RAF in 1939.

At the height of the Battle of Britain in June 1940 during the Second World War his squadron 603 found itself in the thick of the action.

He once said: “I was fortunate in many ways, not least of which I was never wounded and only shot down once.

“My Spitfire was hit in combat with 109s. Having escaped the melee I managed to nurse my aircraft back over the Channel.

“I eventually managed to force land in a ploughed field. I spotted a couple having a picnic. The couple offered a cup of tea and a lift, not back to the aerodrome but to the nearest pub.

“What a contrast to the aerial combat in which we had been fighting for our lives.”

Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, he went on to take part in the Arnhem operations for which he received the Dutch Flying Cross.

Forced to land inside German lines in December 1944 he spent the rest of the war in a prisoner of war camp on the Baltic coast, eventually managing to steal a car and drive to freedom with others dressed as guards.

After the war he flew for BOAC, returning to his native South Africa before returning to the UK in 1994.

The unmistakable sound of a lone Spitfire flying low over a Rutland village provided a fitting final tribute for his funeral.

Author David Ross, who wrote Stapme, a biography of his life, told the congregation at St Mary the Virgin Church in Ketton: “We as a nation should be grateful for the part he played as one of the “Few” during the summer of 1940.The sacrifice he and his colleagues made was without hesitation.”

Neighbour John Loweth, said: “His car, a Skoda, had roundels at the front and rear. He was full of mental energy. He used to go as a guest to a lot of air displays and they often used to fly over his home as a tribute.”

Widow Audrey, said: “He had a lot of luck and the only wound he had was eight stitches in his forehead above his eye after a car crash. He was absolutely amazing.”

A guard of honour and pall bearers were provided by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) based at RAF Coningsby.

BBMF press officer Yvonne Masters said: “He was an exceedingly dear friend of ours. He was one of the “Few” and was a big supporter of the BBMF. We will miss him greatly.

“You had to poke him with a stick to find out about his war record. He was a very modest chap.”