Tributes paid to 'larger than life' WW2 paratrooper who has died aged 97

Second World War veteran Tom Schaffer, who served with the 13th (Lancashire) Parachute Battalion, died on 16 March, aged 97.

He took part in the Ardennes Campaign (The 'Battle of the Bulge') with 6th Airborne Division and his first jump was for Operation Varsity in March 1945.

The former paratrooper was the National Standard bearer for many years and the veteran face of the Parachute Regimental Association.

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Paul Raison, Veterans Officer for the Parachute Regimental Association said that, "Tom Schaffer was the epitome of a veteran of the Parachute Regiment from his era".

"Always cheerful and larger than life, he was a pleasure to be around.

"He will be sadly missed by everyone that knew him or had the good fortune to have met him."

For more than 30 years he was a regular on Taxi Charity trips across the UK and to the Netherlands and Normandy, becoming a poster boy for the Taxi Charity for military veterans.

Last year he was one of 11 D-Day veterans who returned to France to mark the 79th anniversary of the Normandy landings.