A former regional daily photographer and war hero who served at El Alamein has died aged 93.

Tributes have been paid to Wilf Thompson, pictured left, who worked for the Teesside Gazette for almost 40 years.

Middlesbrough-born Wilf joined the Gazette in 1946 after serving in the 8th Army, the Desert Rats, during the Second World War.

He was present for the whole North Africa campaign, including the Battle of El Alamein, and later served in Italy.

Wilf’s military connections didn’t end there, and while working for the Gazette he won first prize in a worldwide photographic competition run by the Ministry of Defence.

His winning submission featured five pictures which he took for the newspaper of the Green Howards during the regiment’s last tour of duty in Northern Ireland.

Wilf left the Gazette in 1983 but his son Alan, who died of cancer in 2007 aged 52, followed in his footsteps working as a journalist for the paper.

Wilf was married to Elsie and the couple had three children – Carol, Alan and Anne – and eight grandchildren.

His grandson Joe, who runs a clothes shop in Middlesbrough called Lazy Joe’s, said: “Wilf used to tell amazing stories about the war to all his grandchildren. I remember being in awe of his glorified, imaginative and creative stories that made me hang on to every word.

“I remember him taking me through some of his old pictures he took for the Gazette and even though I was probably in primary school, he would give me simple but direct pointers that I would remember for my lifetime and which I use today when working on photoshoots for Lazy Joe’s.

“He inspired me with his great detail, imagination and passion.”

In recent years he moved to Surrey to be close to his granddaughter Laura, who he raised with Elsie following the death of her mother Anne.

Wilf and Elsie divorced, but in later years lived in the same care home.

He passed away on 8 August after a short time in hospital.

His funeral takes place at 1.15pm on Friday at Randalls Park Crematorium, Leatherhead, Surrey.