Ivan Lambert was described as "a proper Crouch Ender".

Tributes have been paid to a life-long Crouch End resident who passed away last month.

The funeral of Ivan Lambert, 87, was held at St Peter in Chains RC Church, in Womersley Road, on June 1.

Mr Lambert, of Weston Park, who lived in the area his whole life, died on May 7 after a short battle with cancer.

Long-time friend Margaret Smith, 81, said: “He was a very familiar figure in Crouch End. He used to walk the streets stopping to talk to people he saw on the way.

“People looked out for him and were always glad to see him – he was a proper Crouch Ender.”

During his life, Mr Lambert was an active member of the Royal British Legion and as a teenager he was one of thousands of British troops to set foot on the beaches of Normandy in the days following the D-Day landings of June 6, 1944.

He worked in journalism and advertising and even appeared as an extra in a number of famous British films, including 1949’s The Third Man.

Mr Lambert has one daughter who left the UK some years ago with his estranged wife to live in France.

Ms Smith, also of Weston Park, added: “We would sometimes go and have a glass of wine and talk about things. I enjoyed conversations with him – it’s Crouch End’s loss that he is gone.”