MURDERED robbery victim Geoffrey Bacon will finally be laid to rest in Whitstable, not the London district of Camberwell, which he claimed betrayed him.

The 90-year-old distinguished war veteran was attacked at his second-floor flat in April and died 11 weeks later as a result of his injuries, including a broken hip.

Police are carrying out a major hunt for the robber who punched the frail pensioner to the ground and escaped with a paltry £40 and an out-of-date bus pass.

Now son Philip, 63, and daughter-in-law Jean, of Manor Road, Tankerton, have spoken of Geoffrey's broken heart and body which stole his independence and peace of mind.

The tragedy was made even more painful for the family as it happened just three days after Geoffrey's granddaughter Louise gave birth to great-granddaughter Freya.

Philip said: "We got a telephone call from Southwark Police on the morning of Dad's attack. So we went from the high of Freya's birth on the Friday to a great low."

Geoffrey spent 11 weeks recovering in King's College Hospital, where Jean said he received marvellous treatment.

He was transferred to a nursing home in Westgate-on-Sea where, despite care, he died of pulmonary embolism caused by blood clots that developed after the operation.

Police have demanded a second, independent pathology report in preparation for the offender's trial. His funeral will then finally be arranged.

Mr Bacon said: "My dad had a funeral plan with Age Concern, but the funeral will be here because he was heartbroken.

"He loved Camberwell and he loved the people there. After this happened he said he had lost interest."

Jean added: "He felt totally betrayed."

The media attention following Geoffrey's death has brought the family some comfort.

They have learned that the son of the late US President Dwight D Eisenhower had expressed shock and sympathy at his death. Geoffrey was the president's driver during the war.

And the police and Sun newspaper reward for information to help catch the killer has risen to £40,000.

Jean said: "He was so fit and healthy and did everything for himself.

"We used to speak to him on the telephone twice a day on the dot at 9.15am and then at 8pm after Coronation Street.

"We have had several letters from his old friends in Camberwell saying how much they miss seeing him around the shops. He was such a popular and familiar face."