Tributes have been paid to a “courageous” veteran who risked his life by diving into choppy waters to find an unexploded depth charge during the war.

Bernard Franklin, of Pennine Drive, Golders Green, died of pneumonia on Saturday after a long battle with dementia.

The 91-year-old received a British Empire Medal from the Queen in the 1940s for a heroic act when was a Navy diver during the Second World War.

At the time, the Hendon and Finchley Times carried an article about how “brave” young Bernard Franklin won his award.

His partner, Mary Bennett, 90, said: “He was usually stationed in Pakistan, but he won the medal when he was in England.

“The tide was up against him and he went down to find the unexploded missile. He only had 45 minutes.

“He was very courageous, I am very proud of him.”

Times Series:

Mr Franklin and Ms Bennett met when they were growing up on the Golders Green Estate in 1931, when Bernard was nine and Mary was eight.

They had been a couple since 1956 but neither wanted to get married or have children.

Bernard worked for the police force’s former G5 unit collecting lost property from the streets – but was “too short” to become an actual police officer.

Ms Bennett added: “He was a wonderful man. He had a great sense of humour and was very much a traditionalist.

“He was a typically English man but his ancestry can be traced back to Vienna. He was very much a Royalist.

“I have great memories of our holidays in Croatia. We have had a fantastic life together.”

His funeral will be held at Golders Green Crematorium at midday on November 25.