A UNION Jack was proudly draped around the coffin of Bernard Dean – a fitting tribute to the mesothelioma sufferer who bravely battled the disease while fighting for compensation for other sufferers.

More than 100 mourners packed into All Saints' Church in Risley yesterday to say goodbye to the 61-year-old who died in August after a 20-month battle against asbestos-related cancer.

And tributes to "Bernie", formerly an officer with the Derbyshire Army Cadet Force, were met with both tears and laughter at the service.

During his illness, Mr Dean, who lived in Stevens Road, Sandiacre, with wife Sue, 60, lobbied former Prime Minister Gordon Brown to do more to help mesothelioma sufferers claim compensation.

The father-of-two had been exposed to asbestos while working as a joiner for Erewash Borough Council.

He recently received compensation from the authority, which employed him from 1977 to 1981 to carry out refurbishment work on council properties.

But although he had successfully received a pay-out, Mr Dean campaigned on behalf of those who had not been so lucky.

He was also the first person in the world to take part in an international drug trial in a bid to find a cure. However, he stopped taking the LDE225 drug because it did not stop the spread of the asbestos-related tumours.

At his funeral service friends and family remembered his sense of humour, his love for his family and his passion for the armed forces.

He was a major with the Derbyshire Army Cadet Force, which he joined in 1986, and worked first as an instructor, then as an area commander.

In his eulogy, son Mark Dean, 38, told the congregation how "proud" he and his sister Helen, 35, were of their father.

He said: "He is a legend among men. I know he was proud of his family and he was proud of all the men and women who were in the cadets. He is the greatest father I could ever have wished for. He stared in the face a battle which to many was an unbeatable feat.

"I know he will continue to live forever in all our hearts."

Colonel Trevor Paulucci, who worked with Mr Dean in the cadets, told the service how they went from colleagues to becoming friends.

"Bernie always had a smile on his face and he was totally dedicated to his family, including Sue, the love of his life, and his extended family – the Derbyshire Army Cadet Force," he said.

The service closed with a tribute from Reverend Tim Sumpter, who spoke of Mr Dean's sense of humour and how he still tried to enjoy life as he bravely battled cancer.

As the service was brought to an end, the congregation walked out to the song Wind Beneath My Wings, by Bette Midler.

The funeral service was followed by a burial in the church graveyard.