THE twin sister of the first British rape victim to waive their right to anonymity fought back tears today as she told hundreds of funeral mourners her sibling's tireless work saved many lives.

In an at-times tearful tribute at the packed Lichfield Cathedral service, Sue Lancaster said while "the silly things" had bound the sisters together, her sibling's courage and compassion had kept people alive.

Her grieving husband Gavin Drake had spoken of the "aching" loss of his wife, saying "my Jilly has gone" before the funeral in Staffordshire on Tuesday.

Jill Saward was the first rape victim to waive her right to anonymity after she was attacked by intruders at her father's vicarage in Ealing, west London, in 1986.

Following a lifetime of campaigning, the mother-of-three died at Wolverhampton's New Cross Hospital on January 5 after suffering a subarachnoid haemorrhage, aged 51.

Paying tribute to Liverpool-born Ms Saward, her sister Mrs Lancaster – who knew her by the nickname Snij – said after "'86 happened", she had wanted only to protect her twin.

But strong-willed Ms Saward had not only survived her dark ordeal, she successfully battled to give rape victims a voice, waiving her anonymity in 1990 and seeing in a change in the law about how victims were treated.

Mrs Lancaster's words caught in her throat as she recounted their last words, telling her "I'll talk to you soon", days before Mrs Saward's collapse.

"I did (talk to her) – but she couldn't respond.

"My Snij had gone."

Ms Saward and her identical twin had been inseparable as youngsters, and shared a sense of playful humour, once duping their college-mates for 20 minutes after secretly switching places in class.

Her sister recalled how Ms Saward, whose family had by then moved to Fulham, decided to become a Christian after finding out a youth camp leader she knew had drowned.

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She also shared the darker moments of her sister's life, and after another close friend's death "felt her pain".

Mrs Lancaster said: "'86 happened. It changed all our lives.

"She tried to protect me but I wanted to protect her."

She added: "I felt hurt over the years for all the publicity, but now I'm glad she did it because I know there are many people alive today because of what she did."

Ms Saward had a love of "unusual trousers", good music, the Tudors, Agatha Christie and Winston Churchill and had, her sister said, always lived the family motto to "Win Through".

She unsuccessfully ran for Parliament against the now Brexit Secretary David Davis in 2008.

What did Jill Saward achieve during her lifetime?

Brave Jill became the first sexual assault victim in the UK to waive her anonymity so she could speak out about the attack and campaign for tougher laws.

The first change which came after the shocking case was tighter restrictions on press coverage to protect anonymity for victims.

At the time, the ban on identifying a sexual assault victim only applied after the defendant was charged.

Pictures of Jill in which she could be identified appeared in the tabloids after the attack, which she branded “highly insensitive and offensive”.

In 1990, she published her memoir, Rape: My Story.

In 1994, Jill set up a help group for victims and their families, and became a counsellor, providing training to police forces across the UK.

New guidelines on the sentencing of sex offenders were published in 2013 which put more weight on the impact on the victim – something Jill had long campaigned for.

In 1998, she came face to face with a member of the gang who devastated her life – but did not rape her – and told him: “You don’t need to say sorry.”

In July 2008 she stood for election to Parliament against then shadow home secretary David Davis.

She leaves behind her three sons and husband Gavin.

Mrs Lancaster said: "She's gone away too soon."

"She held the phone next to my mother's ear when she was dying, so I could say goodbye," she added.

"Now I have to say it again."

During the service attended by about 250 mourners, the hymn Bread of Life – which Ms Saward said had helped her overcome her rape ordeal – was played.

Her family had sung the words to her as she had lain in hospital after her collapse.

Also played was Lord Of The Cross Of Shame, written by Ms Saward's father, Rev Michael Saward, in 1964.

The anthem You'll Never Walk Alone then played as self-proclaimed "Scouser" Ms Saward was carried from the cathedral, her coffin adorned with a small bunch of bright flowers, followed by her grieving husband and sons Fergus, Myles and Rory.

Many of those attending had followed the family's invitation to wear purple, to make a statement against sexual violence.

Mr Drake, who wore a purple ribbon on his lapel, said his wife's death had left him feeling "numb", but there was also "pride" in her achievements.

Describing the funeral as "almost our final goodbye", he said her mortal remains would later this year by interred in the town of Nefyn in North Wales, which she had loved in life.

Writing on his blog, he said: "The pain of losing Jill has been hard. And is hard. Not just for me, but for my three lads.

"Myles, Rory and Fergus have shown incredible courage and strength – on the outside, at least.

"I have no idea what they are thinking on the inside, or what they are going through.

"I only know what I am going through – but even here, I think that I am too numb to really know what I am feeling."

He said it gave some comfort that his wife's wish to be an organ donor had now transformed the lives of two other people.

Delivering the homily, Rev Prebendary Gary Piper said Ms Saward had "tried to make the world a better place – not a bad epitaph for someone, is it?"

Last week Jill's former boyfriend said the savage rape the campaigner experienced earlier in her life had contributed to her untimely death.

David Kerr, who was with her at the time of the Ealing attack and himself beaten by the thugs, says he is still haunted in his sleep by the images of the attackers more than three decades later.

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