A FORMER Bradford man is to be honoured in receiving this year's Armed Forces flag.

David Ellis, 84, was born in St Lukes Hospital and attended St Augustine's Primary School and then Barker End Secondary Modern.

He now lives in Skipton with his wife, Jean. The couple have two daughters and a son.

Mr Ellis joined the Life Boys at the age of 10 where he started to play the bugle.

He then joined the Bradford Cathedral Boys Brigade and continued with the bugle resulting in winning the silver bugle three years in succession.

"The highlight of my bugle playing was at York Minster along with four others and the sound was incredible," he said.

In 1955 he was called up to serve his National Service where following his basic training at Catterick he was attached to the Army Catering Corps.

After National Service he returned to Bradford in 1957 where he became a conductor then driver for West Yorkshire Road Car Company. He stayed there for eight years after which he moved to Keighley as an Inspector on the buses.

In the early 1970s he moved to Skipton where he was in charge of the depot.

For over 40 years, Mr Ellis has been an active member of the Royal British Legion at Cross Hills, Ilkley, Addingham and Skipton.

Throughout this time he became the Band Master to four different Boys Brigade bands and a Girls Brigade band.

He was appointed Divisional Band Master and was part of the National Band committee. He also won an award for services to the Royal British Legion.

Mr Ellis has also been a parish councillor, in Sutton.

Although a trained engineer, Mr Ellis spent the majority of his working life is the bus industry and was depot superintendent at Skipton working for West Yorkshire Road Car Company/Ribble Motors.

His final employment was at Johnie Johnson Housing Trust at Leconfield House, Ilkley. Johnie Johnson was a ‘Spitfire Ace’ in the second world war.

Over the years Mr Ellis has volunteered to played his bugle at hundreds of funerals for ex servicemen and women. At many of these he often had tears running down his face with emotion.

He can still be heard along with his son-in-law at Skipton commemoration services in Skipton most notable at the Festival of Remembrance. He has played at many events in Leeds, Manchester, York and Todmordon.

Asked when he will hang up his bugle, he said: "I will still be playing at the age of 100 years old."

Mr Ellis was one of two buglers commemorating Armed Forces Day, in Skipton, on June 24.

The flag will fly on the top of the town hall until Sunday, July 7, when it will be lowered and presented to him.