A war veteran who recently had the chance to fulfil a decades-old dream of taking to the sky in a Spitfire has died at the age of 93.

D-Day soldier Bill Kingman, from Cobham, got to perform barrel rolls in the iconic plane back in October after fellow villagers pitched in to raise £2,750 for the flight from Biggin Hill.

The crowdfunding campaign had been setup in light of Mr Kingman’s deteriorating health, and he died last Monday, November 21.

Mr Kingman had been dubbed “a real local hero”, whose military escapades had taken him to East India and the Normandy landings, for which he received a Legion d’Honneur.

His various medals and badges were always proudly on display and he was a popular figure throughout the village, with dozens of people coming out to watch him soar through the air during his Spitfire experience.

Pupils from Cobham Primary School also got involved by arranging themselves in the school field to spell out his name for him to see from above.

Tributes to Mr Kingman have been led by the chairman of Cobham Parish Council, Cllr Rosemary Dymond, who described him as “a gentle man with a love of adventure”.

She said: “Bill had lived his whole life in the parish, living life to the full right up to the end. Indeed his recent intrepid flight in a Spitfire over his beloved Cobham was testament to his energy and his love of adventure.

“But more than that, this gentle man with his lovely sense of humour was a true stalwart of our community in every way. There wasn’t one family, community organisation or village enterprise whose heart was not touched by his generosity of spirit.

"This gentle man with his lovely sense of humour was a true stalwart of our community in every way" Rosemary Dymond

“He attended most of the parish council meetings and even if he was the only villager present he would always raise issues under the agenda item of parishioners’ comments.

“One of his favourites was that of Sweep’s Hole Pond and to this day that item is still on the agenda to ensure its safe keeping for the village.

“We hope, Bill, that you are now in safe keeping in God’s hands. We as a parish council greatly mourn your loss to our community and send our sincere condolences to Bill’s family.”

Mr Kingman’s funeral will take place at St Mary Magdalene in The Street, Cobham on Monday, December 19. The service will start at the church at 2pm and at Medway crematorium at 3pm.

Would you like to pay tribute to Mr Kingman? Email us at gravesendmessenger@thekmgroup.co.uk or call the newsdesk on 01474 564327.