A FUNERAL has been held for a York man who drove some of the nation’s most iconic steam engines.

George Lamb, who died at the age of 93, was a driver on Flying Scotsman, before later taking up residence at York’s Treasurer’s House, spending almost a decade there as its live-in caretaker.

Mr Lamb was born in Kitchener Street, Selby, in 1920, the eldest of four children of Amy and Albert Lamb.

He left school at 14 to work as an errand boy. At the age of 17 he moved with his family to York, taking with him fond memories of St James’s Parish Church choir, the Boys’ Brigade, and Sunday school.

He began working for London North Eastern Railway (LNER) as a cleaner and, from 1960, a driver, eventually manning Flying Scotsman, Mallard and Sir Nigel Gresley and carrying the Queen and the Queen Mother in the Royal Train.

He never considered steam train driving romantic, just a “dirty smelly job”, but in his later years came to understand the importance of having driven the famous engines.

Mr Lamb developed a great love of his past career and loved seeing his “iron steeds” again in the National Railway Museum in York, but illness meant he could not to attend the recent reunion of the Pacific class engines.

He married Winifred Benson, known as Wyn, in 1943 after they met at a railway dance and the couple had three children, Jean, Stephen and Barbara.

George left the railways at the age of 55, and he and Wyn took up the role of live-in caretaker at the Treasurer’s House, next to York Minster, until George retired about eight years later in 1983. Wyn died in 2009.

The Scouting movement played a large part in George’s life, both as a Boy Scout and eventually as a group Scout leader.

He was most heavily involved with units at Dringhouses PC, St Maurice’s and 1st Muncaster more than 40 years.

He also loved singing and was a member of the choir at West Thorpe Methodist Chapel, singing until a stroke stopped him at the age of 92, and once with such gusto that his false teeth flew out and hit a woman in front.

His family and friends paid tribute to a “true gentleman of the old school, a charmer with the ladies and a truly devoted family man”.

Mr Lamb, who died on November 2, was the last survivor of his siblings, and said himself: “First man in, last man out. Not a bad innings”.