POPULAR scooterist and war veteran, Steven Humphreys, has died aged 54.

Mr Humphreys was born in Birmingham, on January 12, 1966, as one of two children to Arnold and Hazel Humphreys.

His parents saved hard to buy him his first bike ­— a Raleigh Chopper ­— only to catch him in the garage one day, painting it black because he wanted to be Knight Rider.

In 1978, the family moved to the Isle of Wight and Steve attended West Wight Middle School and Carisbrooke High School.

He was best known for his love of the mod scene, which started when he was 13 ­— acquiring his first scooter when he was 17.

After leaving school, his first job was as a spot welder at Readers in Freshwater.

When he was 19, he fulfilled his dream of joining the army.

During his eight years of service, he did two tours of duty in Northern Ireland, followed by time in Belize, where he was proud to have worked alongside the Gurkhas.

He was stationed in Cyprus where he began his arctic training in the mountains, served in Kenya, and in the first Gulf War.

He was chosen to guard the US commander of Desert Storm ­— Norman Schwarzkopf ­— and was also a member of the 'Desert Rats'.

After sustaining an injury from a scud missile and spending some time in an American field hospital, he then went to Canada, where he completed his arctic training.

By 25, he had been promoted to Lance Bombardier, but refused further promotions, as he didn’t want to be away from his team.

In 1995, he left the army with an exemplary record and worked as a security guard at Fulham Football Club.

He was responsible for designing the security system for the club, which at the time was owned by Mohamed Al-Fayed, who also owned Harrods.

Mr Humphreys went on to work for the British Embassy in Washington DC, and was there when the 9/11 attack took place. Being trained in chemical warfare, he was heavily involved in helping with the aftermath.

Missing the support of his comrades and suffering from PTSD, he returned to the Island and his family.

He had many claims to fame, which included spending a night with Paul Weller in a police cell.

He was a member of the Isle of Wight Scooter Club and an avid Aston Villa fan, and will be remembered for his laugh and his massive 'Brummie' cuddle.

Mr Humphreys died of cancer on August 9, less than a week after being admitted to hospital, and just a day after being diagnosed.

He leaves behind his mum, dad, sister Annie, nieces and nephews, and his great niece and nephew.

On the day of the funeral last Friday, his hearse was followed to the crematorium by approximately 50 of his scooter friends.