A DAUGHTER of a WW2 hero has expressed how greatly missed he will be by everyone who knew him.

Mr Leonard Baker, also nicknamed ‘Joe Has’, was brought up in Enfield but moved permanently to Dovercourt after his retirement from the Metropolitan police.

He died from old age at 94-years old and was described by his daughter Allison Ford, 64, of Cornwall, as a ‘very kind man who was always helping people’.

Mr Baker joined the Metropolitan Police in 1952, but was later sent to Parkeston Quay where the family settled for a while.

He returned to London in the 1970s but decided to keep his Dovercourt bungalow where the family spent the weekends together.

Mr Baker was also known for his pivotal role in the Atlantic Crossing in WW2, for which he belatedly received an Atlantic Star at Downing Street for his bravery.

His kindness is one of the things his two daughters, three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren will always remember him by.

Alison added: “I know everyone probably says the same thing about their fathers but he was the most amazing parent.

“I can just think of his kindness because that is what he was known for.

“He was always so friendly with everyone.”

Following his retirement as a chief detective inspector, Mr Baker worked for the immigration services in Dovercourt and was always helping the community.

He was also instrumental in the building of the Dovercourt Bowling Club, where he loved spending his free time. But bowls wasn’t his only passion.

Mr Baker was a past master of the Hanslip Ward lodge in Harwich and a member of the Dovercourt Rifle Club, who also loved watching football games with Alison and her older sister Kerry Baker, 67, of Stevenage.

Allison added: “He was involved in a lot of things.

“He was really well known and had friends of different age groups.

“He had a lot of patience and if you didn’t understand something he was quite a good teacher.

“Although he was working he played such a huge part in our lives and used to do a lot of school work with us.

“He was a very selfless person. “

The funeral will take place on September 7 from 11.30am at the All Saints Church in Dovercourt.