On Thursday 28 July Alfie ‘Fred’ Lee, from Odiham, Hampshire, a much-loved member of the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans, died at home with his family at his bedside.
Born on 30 July 1926, Alfred ‘Fred’ Lee lived in Odiham, Hampshire. He married Joyce in 1947 and they had three children Kevin, Karen, and Katrina.
A D Day veteran, Fred had two brothers in the Navy and one a paratrooper and the family was blessed that they all returned from the war. Fred volunteered in August 1943 aged 17 and spent the war as a Stoker in the Royal Navy. He was awarded the Legion d’Honneur, France’s highest military honour.
When asked a couple of years ago to recall a couple of memories from his 13 months in the Far East, Fred shared these two anecdotes with the Taxi Charity.
“We went to Bombay via Aiden on HMS Nith and when we were in Bombay, we picked up five landing craft to take to Rangoon. Unbelievably my brother Frank was on one of the landing craft! I hadn’t seen him or heard from him for a long time and had no idea that we had both been involved in D Day in Normandy a year earlier.”
“During my two weeks leave in the Himalayas, I was keeping goal during a football match between the Navy and the Army and was hit between the legs by the ball and ended up in Bombay hospital. While in hospital my ship was due to leave port and my Petty Officer visited me in hospital and said, ‘Stoker Lees, here’s your kit bag and a train ticket get yourself to Madras.’ Following orders, I had a very hot and fly ridden 12-hour train journey, on my own to Madras, where I re-joined the ship.”
Fred’s family said, “As well as his family, Fred treasured his friends. Always greeting them with a big smile, handshake, or a hug. So many people are missing him. He was a lovely man.”
Dick Goodwin, Vice President, Taxi Charity for Military Veterans, said “For as long as I can remember Fred has been with us on our Taxi Charity trips. As well as being an important part of the Taxi Charity family he was a popular member of the Surrey branch of the Normandy Veterans Association. Always positive and smiling he will be greatly missed by us all.”
To find out more about the support the Taxi Charity offers to veterans or to donate visit www.taxicharity.org
About the Taxi Charity
The Taxi Charity is run by volunteer London black taxi drivers and has been supporting thousands of veterans of all ages since 1948. The charity arranges free trips to the Netherlands, Belgium, and France, for acts of commemoration and days out to museums, concerts, or fundraising events across the UK, to catch up with friends and comrades.
The charity was awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in June 2021.
In 2023 the charity will be celebrating its 75th anniversary.
To fund and facilitate their work, the charity is reliant on generous donations grants, and sponsorship.
