A WORCESTER war hero, who had been a bodyguard to the Queen, has been laid to rest.

Albert "Gerry" Price died on Friday, November 9, aged 91 at Worcester Christian Nursing Home.

A former bodyguard to the Queen and holder of the Military Cross, he served in the Second World War as squadron sergeant major with the 3rd Bn Scots Guards - the ranks of which included Lord Whitelaw and Robert Runcie, later to become Archbishop of Canterbury.

Mr Price was born in 1910, at Mosborough, outside Sheffield, and worked in the mines from the age of 12.

He later joined the Army, which gave him a long and eventful career.

Fighting with the battalion at Oislerwijk in the Netherlands Squadron, Mr Price commanded the crew of a Chieftain tank.

During the mission his vehicle was hit by two rounds of air-burst shells from a gunnery unit.

At least one of his colleagues was killed in the blast and he was badly injured in the attack. Despite being wounded, he rallied his tank squadron and launched a successful counter-attack.

Later he discovered he had been fighting with a huge hole in his right hand and shrapnel splinters embedded up the length of his arm.

For his bravery in combat he was awarded The Military Cross, and was the only warrant officer of the Scots Guards to receive this honour during the war.

In peacetime, he became an active member of the Yeoman rank and was Guardian of the Queen's Bedchamber.

For more than 20 years, Mr Price appeared at state occasions including the state opening of Parliament and royal banquets at Buckingham and St James's palaces and Windsor Castle.

In the early 1970s he moved to Worcester with his wife Margaret and worked initially for the County Court, before becoming warden at Stanhope Court, a residential home in Malvern Road.

"Albert was present at last year's poppy parade and it was an honour to take his arm and walk with him to the war memorial to lay a wreath," said John Hewlett, chairman of the Worcester Branch of the Royal British Legion.

Mr Hewlett described Mr Price as a "thoughtful, brave and caring man".

Mr Price's funeral was held at St John's Church, Bedwardine.