The funeral of one of Helston and Porthleven's best-known and loved residents, former town mayor and Alderman Michael Gale, is taking place this Friday.

A flag flew at half-mast on Helston's Guildhall last week in memory of Mr Gale, who died last Thursday aged 84. His death was announced at that evening's meeting of Helston town council and he was remembered in prayers led by chaplain Rev Andrew Hill.

After the meeting, mayor Ronnie Williams told the Packet: "He loved doing his job. He was devoted to his work and an absolute pillar of society. I hold him in very, very high esteem for the work he's done for Helston and Porthleven, which was of a very high standard. He was a respected councillor and he'll be a very, very hard act to follow."

Known as "Father of the Council," Mr Gale was first elected to the old Helston Borough Council in 1955, representing the Porthleven ward. In 1964 he served for two terms as mayor and became an Alderman in 1968.

Following reorganisation of the council in 1974, when Helston and Porthleven became two separate councils, Mr Gale chose to sit on Helston town council. He also sat for three years on Kerrier district council, beginning in 1977.

His keen interest as chairman of Helston's twinning committee with Sasso Marconi in Italy also earned him the name of "Mr Twinning."

Mr Gale was born in Tetbury, Gloucestershire in 1922 and joined the army in 1941. He was a Desert Rat and one of the first tank drivers to ride into Normandy at the D-Day landings in 1944. The previous year he had been mentioned in Despatches following the D-Day landings in Sicily and Italy. He was responsible for putting together a memorial for Porthleven war hero Guy Gibson, who led a squadron in the Dam Busters raid during the Second World War and died later in the conflict.

At the conclusion of his war service in 1946 Mr Gale moved to Porthleven with his wife Brenda and remained there ever since. His working career ended suddenly after he was involved in a serious road accident. Despite this he was known for giving a great deal back to the community and among the positions he took on in the port were senior governor of Porthleven School, founder member and vice chair of Porthleven Gala Week Committee and treasurer of Porthleven Town Band for 30 years, until 1983.

He was also a founder member and treasurer of the Porthleven branch of the British Empire Cancer Campaign, a member and chairman of the Helston and District Chamber of Commerce and the president of the Porthleven Sea Angling Club. He was given the Freedom of the Borough of Helston in 1985.

Mr Gale leaves his wife Brenda, children Ann and David and two granddaughters. Ann said: "We're all proud of him. I think he put quite a bit into the community and he just enjoyed life. He enjoyed his council work - he loved that. He always kept himself busy. We'll all miss him."

Stephen Ivall, deputy editor of the Packet knew Mr Gale well when working in Helston, said he had always been looked upon as the "father of the council" and there was little he did not know about Helston and Porthleven.

"When he became a Helston town councillor in 1974 the authority incorporated Porthleven but he always treated the two areas fairly. He had a wealth of experience on the former borough council, which later became Kerrier district council. He was also proud of his involvement with the famous Dam Buster hero Guy Gibson and his connections with Porthleven. Michael was instrumental in setting up a memorial to Gibson in the churchyard," he said.

Mr Gale's funeral is taking place at Porthleven Methodist Church this Friday at 2pm. There will be family flowers only, with donations given to the RNLI.

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