A reclusive former Scottish soldier lay dead in his flat for seven months after falling out with his family. 

Proud Thomas Yuill, 82, lived alone in a council flat on the notorious Blackbird Leys estate in Oxford. 

His funeral took place yesterday - but it's unclear if any relatives were there for the service. 

Mr Yuill, who had two older brothers who are believed to still be alive, had a falling out with his family in the 1960s. 

Council officers twice visited the flat to chase missing rent payments but neither time notified emergency services about concerns for the welfare of Mr Yuill, who was born in Lanark and grew up in the nearby mining village of Kirkmuirhill. 

Officials knocked and rang the bell - even noticing a "musty" smell - but went away after getting no reply. 

It was only after a statutory 28-day notice period issued by Oxford City Council expired that officers entered the property and found his body. 

His decomposing corpse lay just a few feet on the other side of his front door. 

Family members were tracked down on behalf of Oxford City Council by genealogists Finders International. 

His niece, Valerie Hall, 67, of Stockton-on-Tees, said she not seen her uncle for decades but said he was "a lonely man and didn't want company". 

She added: "My husband and I visited him in Blackbird Leys shortly after our wedding in 1973, when he was still living with his wife. 

"His first love was the army; he was devoted to the army. 

"He was very reclusive and regimented. He had his meals at a set time every day. 

"He lived for the army and when he came out it carried on dominating his life. 

"There was a big falling out between him and the rest of his family in Scotland a long time ago and he never spoke to them again. It's very sad." 

Mr Yuill was born the fifth of six children in February 1934. 

At the age of 18 he joined up as a Corporal with the Royal Army Ordnance Corps. 

He was in the army for 22 years, serving in Egypt and Cyprus. 

Military records reveal Corporal Yuill's "exemplary conduct" and also note that he received an operational medal for general service in Cyprus. 

His daughter, Karen, a theatre manager, was born in 1965 and died of cancer in 2009 and his wife Mabel, from whom he became estranged, died in 2011. 

The next of kin on the council's books, who would have been the authority's point of contact, died in 2012. 

Finders International spokeswoman Kirsty How said Mr Yuill is survived by two brothers, and several nephews and nieces. 

When his body was discovered, neighbour Gemma Woodthorpe said she had never known Mr Yuill to have visitors. 

She said: "He kept himself to himself and was friendly but didn't have an awful lot to say." 

In the aftermath of his death - described by Oxford City Council as a "distressing case" - the council's older people's champion Gill Sanders said attempts were being made to build links with isolated older people. 

She said: "Mr Yuill was a regular rent payer so in future, if we have someone elderly, vulnerable or disabled who suddenly with no explanation stops paying, it should be investigated. Officers went to his flat but didn't gain access until the very end."