A JOINT funeral was held for former Poole Mayor Gerald Bailey and his wife Lily, who died within five days of each other.

The devoted couple were married for 69 years but were parted when Lily’s Alzheimer’s meant that Gerald could no longer care for her at home and they died in different care homes, aged 92 and 93 respectively.

Gerald George Thomas Bailey and Catherine Lily Bailey moved to Poole in 1971 when the former career navy officer took a job as clerk to the governing body of the then Poole Technical College.

He retired in 1978 as finance officer of Bournemouth and Poole College of FE.

From 1979 to 1991 he represented Parkstone as a Conservative councillor on Poole Council, serving as Sheriff in 1985, Mayor in 1986 and Deputy Mayor the following year.

Involved with the local Royal Naval Association, Poole Sea Cadets, the Friends of Upton Country Park, Age Concern Poole and the Society of Poole Men, he was active in the twinning committee, sports trust and as a school governor.

Born in London, Gerald, who died at the age of 93, started work as an accounts clerk before joining the Royal Navy as a supply assistant in 1940. He worked his way up the ranks, retiring as a lieutenant commander in 1965.

During the Second World War, he survived three convoys to Malta, one in which the bow of his ship was blown off by a U-boat, and escorted three convoys to Russia, for which earlier this year he received the Arctic Star.

A commando raid on Norway and the bombardment of St Malo were other highlights. He was on the staff of the Commander-in-Chief of Hong Kong when it was taken back from the Japanese and served at the Admiralty before he retired. In 1988 he was made an MBE.

He met Lily, a State Registered Nurse, in Glasgow in 1940 and they were married at St Fillans, Perthshire, in 1940.

They had three children, Maurice, Yvonne and Alistair, eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren and he kept in touch with them through Skype.

Their joint funeral service was held at St Aldhelm’s Church, Branksome, and a civic memorial service may be held next spring.