Family and friends have paid tribute to Ivy Riley, a prominent figure in the history of the Dagenham Girl Pipers, whose funeral took place last week.

Romford Recorder: Ivy Riley was a prominent figure in the Dagenham Girl Pipers.Ivy Riley was a prominent figure in the Dagenham Girl Pipers. (Image: Archant)

Ivy, of Highfield Crescent, Hornchurch, and her husband Arthur had three daughters and she was grandmother to seven and great-grandmother to nine.

Originally from Dagenham, Ivy was the bass drummer in the Girl Pipers in the 1940s, which she joined on ­returning from being evacuated during the war.

In her memoirs for the book Dagenham Girl Pipers – an 80th anniversary celebration, Ivy wrote: “As a bass drummer I wore a whole leopard skin. It was very heavy and sometimes I had to dance in it.

“My memories include performing at the victory ­parade at Buckingham Palace and in a scene for the film School for Secrets in 1946.

“I also played for three months with the Belle Vue Circus in Manchester and did a tour of Holland.

“The highlight of my ­career with the band was the Royal Command Performance at the London Palladium in November 1947 with Laurel and Hardy, Tommy Trinder and Gracie Fields.”

She later became chairman of the Dagenham Girl Pipers Veterans Association.

Ivy passed away on August 3 at the age of 84. At her ­funeral on August 29 the Girl Pipers joined the procession marching in front of the hearse from her house to St Andrew’s Church in Hornchurch.

Jean Gibbins, who is the only existing member of the veterans committee in the band with Ivy, said: “Ivy was everything one could wish for in a friend, loyal and supportive and I will miss her so much.”

Her eldest daughter Gill added: “Mum lived a very full life and enjoyed every moment she could spend with family and friends. She had a good sense of humour and is remembered for her dedication to her work and her loyalty to the band. She will be sadly missed by all whose lives she touched.”