Lorry driver, 93, driven to his funeral on the back of a HGV in perfect send off

A dedicated lorry driver has been given the perfect send off after he was taken to his funeral on the back of one of his cherished vehicles.

Great-granddad Thomas Norman Foster, 93, was carried to his funeral inside a white coffin that was placed on the back of a HGV tractor unit on Monday.

The Scania lorry, that led a fleet of family cars from the Co-operative Funeral Service in Leicester to St Catherine’s Church in Houghton on the Hill, had an ‘in loving memory’ message written on the back.

After the service, Mr Foster’s coffin was then strapped back to the back of the HGV as he made his final journey to South Leicestershire Memorial Park and Crematorium.

Mr Foster was still driving trucks for his son’s firm at the age of 89 and only reluctantly gave up his Class 1 driving licence when he was aged 92.

His daughter Sonja said the funeral procession was the perfect way to say goodbye to the dad-of-two, who ran his own haulage business for over 40 years.

She said: “He became a long-distance lorry driver and in 1968 started his own haulage business Foster Carrier Service.

“Dad eventually retired at 65 but carried on driving class one HGVs for his son and grandson’s haulage business until the age of 89.

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“At the age of 92 he finally decided it was time to give up his class one driving licence. His passion for trucks has always shone through and continues to shine through in his son, grandson, and son-in-law.

“He said he would love to have his coffin on the back of a Scania. He said it was the king of the road and that’s what we think of Dad as.

“He was one of the nicest, most respectful and honest people you could wish to meet.”

Mr Foster, who was known as Norman, had been a widower since 1993 and leaves behind a son and daughter, six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

He began his career in the transport industry delivering groceries on a bike before staring work for a haulage company.

Mr Foster was called up to the army in 1942 and was trained as a tank driver serving with the 24th Lancers as a trooper.

He was finally transferred to a transport division after many applications and saw action at the D-Day landings in Normany in June 1944.

On D-Day plus 4 a bomb exploded near Mr Foster’s lorry as he was moving trucks away from a Germany tank.

A piece of shrapnel flew past his face knocking him over and he was sent back to England suffering from shell-shock.

He was sent back to France as a cook’s assistant after his recovery and met his wife Gerda at a dance near Hannover while he was serving in Germany in 1946.

In February 1947 he was posted back to England but the next month he travelled back to Germany illegally to return to see Gerda.

He found a farmer who was willing to help him cross the German/Dutch border without being seen before hitchhiking the rest of the way to Hanover.

Mr Foster then decided to return home to England in April until he could return to Gerda and marry her legally.

He eventually made the journey back to Germany legally in May 1948 and the couple were married before returning to England as man and wife.

Top pic: SWNS