A war hero is set to have his final wish for his late wife come true -- thanks to This Is Essex partner the Gazette.

After Pip Pagani died earlier thismonth her husband Roy had one desire for her funeral.

He wanted to find a song which drifted through the windows of a register office when they were married in 1939 at Colchester.

Mr Pagani, 84, of Wellesley Road, Clacton, only knew one line of the song -- "when the deep purple falls" -- and wrote to the Gazette for help in tracking the music down.

Within 30 minutes of receiving the letter we had found the song and arranged for it to be played at the funeral. We first looked on the internet and discovered the name of the song was Deep Purple, sung by Nino Tempo and April Stevens.

Then we contacted Maggie Sams, 89, of Frinton, mother of reporter Mike, who by chance had an original copy of the sheet music to the tune.

We then rang Jack Jacobs, of Magic Music, High Street, Clacton, who agreed to play the keyboard live at the funeral at Burrs Cemetery, Great Clacton.

Ex-corporal Mr Pagani was the only man to have escaped the notorious Burma-Siam Railway during the Second World War.

He was originally at Dunkirk and was on board the Empress of Asia, which was bombed and sunk. He was eventually captured by the Japanese and sent to work on the Burmese Railway, better known as the Railway of Death.

One morning he slipped away and, disguised as an Indian, walked barefoot by night for more than 200 miles, helped by the Karen tribesman and the famous guerilla leader the late Major Hugh Seagrim.

The Japanese captured and tortured him before finally handing him over to the Allies in 1945.

Afterwards Mr Pagani, who has maintained his links with the Karen people, was awarded the Military Medal. Mr Pagani went on to run a taxi service and garage.

Play it again -- Roy Pagani listens to Jack Jabobs' rendition of the song he was searching for for his wife's funeral</B.

Picture: STEVE BRADING

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