A town was in mourning yesterday for a Royal Marine who died in Iraq.

But Chris Maddison's parents urged those at his funeral to be proud of what he achieved and of his comrades still in the Gulf. Steve Parsley reports.

IT was the mark of the man that, by the time the funeral cortege pulled up outside yesterday, the pews were already full.

Royal Marines in full dress uniform had mingled with other mourners outside St Mary's Church, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, until half an hour before the funeral service, to remember and celebrate the life of comrade Chris Maddison.

But, when duty demanded, they took their stations for a drill rehearsed time after time to honour their fallen comrade.

A message from the family read: "The war in Iraq was symbolic for a new concept on planet Earth called 'peace'. It represents the solution of the unsolvable and the healing of hearts at the core. It is a new energy that turns rage into temperance and hatred into understanding.

"Be proud of those who fight for justice and fair play for they will, and do, make your Earth a safer place.

"Goodnight Sweetheart."

In their turn, the Marines wanted to do their comrade proud, to say their farewells with full military honours and with dignity and humanity.

But it was hard to put emotion aside - even for Marine Maddison's commanding officer, Colonel David Heaver, who leads the 1 Assault Group.

"Chris Maddison gave everything to everything he did in life," he said. "However, I think what has happened here today shows how human he was - he was a tremendous man with a bright future, but a sad end.

"In the armed services, you learn to expect loss, but it is never easy and it is just as difficult to deal with as the first time. The Marines are a family and, when you lose a family member, you feel it."

Marine Maddison joined HMS Ocean in the Gulf in 2000, which was captained at the time by Commander Paul Lloyd, who gave the eulogy in church.

"You should be - and we are - so very proud of him," he said, his voice shaking with grief. "Chris died as he lived, with great strength and courage and with the same honour and principles which guided him through life.

"It says much about the man that I can say he was one of the most consummate professionals but also one of the most decent man I have worked with in 23 years' service."

Marine Maddison, a veteran of Sierra Leone and Afghanistan, died of wounds received on March 30 during a patrol of the Zubayr river with the Royal Marines' 9 Assault Squadron, as coalition forces battled for control of the strategically important Al Faw peninsula in southern Iraq.

One of the Marines' patrol boats was fired on as it went to check for enemy forces at a confluence in the river and another was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade as it went to help. Rescue attempts were hampered by heavy machine gun fire. Marine Maddison was among the wounded who were later brought out but doctors at a field hospital were unable to save him.

After the Last Post was sounded and the National Anthem was sung to mark the end of yesterday's service, three volleys of rifle fire rang out over the churchyard as the coffin was taken for a private cremation.

Mourners joined the family afterwards at the Scarborough hotel run by Marine Maddison's mother, Julie, and stepfather, Tony.