A Second World War veteran who was deployed to Burma in the last two years of the conflict has died just short of his 100th birthday.

Leslie Burkett, from Tonbridge, died on April 30.

During the war, Mr Burkett and his unit gave up their plane home after newly-freed British prisoners of war emerged from a Burma jungle in 1945.

It was another two or three weeks before the regiment could see their families.

In an interview last summer the great-grandfather, who served as a private, recalled: "We had to give up our plane, of course we did, it was the least we could do."

Daughter Irene Young said: "We were all inspired by him, he was our hero. We were blessed to have him in our lives for so long."

Brought up in Sittingbourne, Mr Burkett, who would have turned 100 on May 27, was fostered from a young age and raised alongside seven foster siblings.

He joined the army in 1941 aged 19. After his training he was posted to India with the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, then to Ceylon, now known as Sri Lanka.

He spent the last two years of the war in Burma, at that time a British colony, now referred to as Myanmar.

The young man was part of the artillery unit when he arrived but they had to switch to infantry as troops couldn’t carry the heavy weaponry while walking through dense foliage.

Temperatures were unbearable and drinking water was sparse.

In an interview with KentOnline, Mr Burkett remembered a friend running out of water. When he was about to hand over some of his, a sergeant told him that “under no circumstances” was he to share.

Mr Burkett and his regiment joined the Battle of Ramree Island in January, 1945, after Japan captured the area and the allied forces wanted to establish airbases there.

Victory in Europe was announced in May 1945 but for the troops in Asia, the war was not yet over.

When the news came through on the radio that Hiroshoma and Nagasaki had been bombed, signalling the end of the war, the unit still had to march for three weeks to get back to their depot.

The men had to be cleansed of any toxic fumes that might have reached them from the atom bomb.

They weren’t to discover the devastation caused to the Japanese cites until later.

Upon returning to England, Mr Burkett worked for a building firm in Sittingbourne. In 1950, he married a war widow, Millie, whose first husband was shot over Italy.

They were together for 63 years before Millie died. Mr Burkett worked for Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council for 25 years, employed as a lorry driver.

He never returned to Asia, explaining there were too many “bad memories” associated with his time there.

For the last four years, Mr Burkett, who lived in Tonbridge town centre, laid a wreath at the town's Remembrance Day service.

He travelled to London five years ago for the 70th anniversary of VE Day and VJ Day. In August, he marked the 75th VJ day anniversary at home with his family.

"People have shared so many happy memories of time spent with my dad. They always remember my dad with laughter."

Mrs Young said many people had been in touch to share their memories of her dad following his death.

She added: "The family are so touched by all of the wonderful loving tributes and kind worlds.

"People have shared so many happy memories of time spent with my dad. They always remember my dad with laughter. So many people loved him.

"Of course we are going to miss him unbelievably, this wasn't something we were expecting to happen, we were planning celebrations for his 100th birthday.

"The peace we have is he is going to be with his much loved with Millie."

Mr Beckett leaves behind a daughter, three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

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