THE former captain of the HMS Dido, which the people of Bolton funded by raising more than £1 million in a week, has died.

Mike England died aged 83, shortly after being diagnosed with lung cancer.

Mr England became president of the HMS Dido Association in 2006, and retained a close association with Bolton despite living in Farnham, Surrey.

He served on the ship in the Korean War and later became the ship captain.

The ship's company were awarded Freedom of the Borough of Bolton on April 14, 1972, and Mr England handed over his military sword to the town.

After leaving the Navy in the 1980s, Mr England was asked to join the association by its secretary Colin Bates, and since then has visited Bolton on several occasions.

In 2011, Cllr John Byrne, who was the Mayor of Bolton at the time, presented the Pingat Jasa medal to members association on the steps of the Town Hall to mark their service in Malaysia.

Mr Bates paid tribute to his former colleague, who he described as "genuine" and "honourable".

Mr Bates, who lives in Birmingham, said: "He was the most genuine, honest person I ever met in the Navy. He was probably one of the most honourable people I met as well.

"He was a stickler for obeying the rules and getting things right. If anybody needed punishing, he'd just tell them off face to face rather than throw the book at them. He was one for the personal touch."

Mr England is survived by his wife Michele and his children and grandchildren.

The ship's association with Bolton began when the town raised £1.2 million within a week after the Government appealed for every town and city in the country to raise £1 million for the war effort in World War Two.

The staggering fundraising achievement during 'Warship Week' meant the anti-aircraft cruiser could be built, and in the process creating a lifelong link between Bolton and the ship.

The ship became known as the 'Luckiest Ship in the Fleet' having been damaged only once by enemy action, and in 1945 she fired the very last shot of the war and was also instrumental in accepting the surrender of the German Navy in Copenhagen.

The original ship was scrapped in 1958, but three years later the anti-submarine frigate, HMS Dido, was launched and also adopted by the town.