Ade Edmondson goes on seaside jaunt to Hastings area and visits Spike Milligan’s grave

The Young Ones star strolled around the cobbled streets of Rye on Saturday (February 12) and went for a walk in Winchelsea. He was looking at St Thomas’ Church cemetery, when he came across Spike Milligan’s grave “quite by accident”.

Milligan, who was stationed in Bexhill during World War II and later lived in the Rye area, died in February 2002 at the age of 83. His funeral service took place at St Anthony’s Catholic Church in Rye.

Edmondson posted a photograph of the comic’s gravestone on Twitter, and added: “Astonishing to think it’s been 20 years. Met him once, told him I was a huge fan. Nervously asked if he’d seen any of our stuff - he said he didn’t watch new comedy because he already knew all the jokes.”

Hundreds of Edmondson’s fans replied to his post, and several gave anecdotes about Milligan’s exploits in Rye. One person, Dom Storey, said the St Anthony’s monk who had buried Milligan told how he “used to shout out jokes during his masses and had everyone in stitches”. Another tweeter, called Andy, said: “My wife is from Rye and tells me some very funny stories about Spike and his antics. He used to drive his Mini in reverse on the streets of Rye, causing chaos, but never reprimanded.”

Milligan’s gravestone bears what was voted as the UK’s favourite epitaph. In accordance with the comic’s wishes the stone reads “See I told you I was ill!” but is written in Gaelic. The headstone was removed for a time when Spike’s third wife Shelagh was buried alongside him in June 2011.

Milligan - who famously described Bexhill as “the only cemetery above ground” - was best known for his work on the radio show The Goons in the 1950s. He was a popular figure in Rye and often opened charity events in the area.

He lived at Dumb Woman’s Lane, Udimore, in a house called Carpenters Meadow which was designed by an architect in the 1960s. He described his home as “the ugliest house in the world” and put up an alternative house name - The Blind Architect. Asked by Paul Merton, when he appeared on the TV programme Room 101, if there was anything he could do to improve his house, Milligan replied: “You could set fire to it.”

He once joined East Sussex resident Sir Paul McCartney in a public march through the streets of Rye to protest against plans to close Rye Hospital.