A Royal Marine fulfilled his mother's dying wish by returning home from the Gulf and attending her funeral in full military uniform.

Louis Harvey-Jones was given special dispensation to return to England to say goodbye to his mother, Josephine Harvey-Jones.

It was standing-room-only as more than 100 people attended Downs Crematorium in Brighton to remember Mrs Harvey-Jones, a well-known charity campaigner.

She organised many fund-raising activities to help fund the Nigel Porter Unit for Breast Cancer at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

She also helped successfully campaign to keep the unit in Brighton, after health chiefs announced they wanted it moved to Haywards Heath.

Mrs Harvey-Jones, of Rose Hill Terrace, Brighton, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997 and died this month aged 60 after contracting liver cancer and bone cancer.

Her friend Gina Clarke told mourners at yesterday's service she had had three special requests for her funeral.

Mrs Clarke said: "She said she wanted a good turnout, she didn't want any hymns as no one sang them and she wanted Louis to be there in his uniform - she was ever so proud of him. All three of those have come true. People have done her proud.

"Josephine was an inspiration to us all. She was spirited and quick-witted and with a genuine warmth of personality that is so rarely seen."

Louis had been contacted while serving in the Gulf when his mother's condition worsened but arrived home after her death on March 6.

Mrs Clarke spoke of how Mrs Harvey-Jones loved tennis and enjoyed organising ladies' tennis days to raise money for the Nigel Porter Unit.

Father Peter Clegg, of the Good Shepherd Church in Portslade, performed the service.

He is also chaplain for the Retired Branch of Royal Marines.

Mrs Harvey-Jones's friends Jilly Block and David Graves both read poems, including Eli Jenkins' Prayer by Dylan Thomas.

The committal of her body was accompanied by a recording of Who Wants To Live Forever? by Queen.