London

WWII Normandy veteran Roy ‘Smudger’ Smith from Sittingbourne in Kent died in hospital on Friday 23 June, he was 97. Roy Smith is survived by his two daughters, Linda Harvey and Teresa Rising, five grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren. Roy was born in November 1925 in Sittingbourne, Kent, the second youngest of seven children. From…

In September 1944, at the age of 19, Frank Ashleigh was the youngest airman to take part in Operation Market Garden. Frank Ashleigh from Kingsbury, who served in WWII with the Glider Pilot Regiment died on 18 June 2023 after a short stay in hospital, he was 98. Frank is survived by his wife Mavis…

100 year old WWII veteran Tommy Parkinson from Gospel Oak died on 2 June 2023. WWII Veteran Tommy Parkinson was born on 6 March 1923 and celebrated his 100th birthday this year. Tommy volunteered for Air Crew when he was 17. Having passed his health and aptitude tests but failing his maths, he joined the Rifle…

Taxi Charity volunteer cabbies took a group of veterans to Normandy for the 79th anniversary of D Day commemorations. For 75 years the London based Taxi Charity for Military Veterans has been supporting veterans. For many years they have been taking veterans to Normandy to the D Day commemorations so that they can pay their…

A flight from Warton Aerodrome enabled WWII veterans Ken Benbow, 97 and Stuart Taylor, 100 to attend the International D Day service at the British Normandy Memorial.           Collaboration between BAE Systems, Central Lancashire Armed Forces Veterans Association and the London based Taxi Charity for Military Veterans enabled two WWII veterans…

The Taxi Charity was saddened to hear that WWII veteran Alexander ‘Alec’ Campbell Borrie, who served with 1st SAS had died in Darent Valley Hospital. WWII veteran Alec Borrie, 98, died in Darent Valley Hospital on 21 May. He was one of the last surviving members of the 1st SAS. Alec Borrie volunteered for the…

During Foster Care Fortnight, Diagrama Foundation invited their foster carers to a fun family picnic to strengthen their fostering community and thank them for everything they do. On 20 May a group of foster carers joined the Diagrama Fostering and Adoption team for a Hawaiian themed picnic in Croydon. The foster carers, their natural families…

Fifteen cabs driven by Taxi Charity volunteers took a group of veterans to the Netherlands for Dutch Liberation. The London based Taxi Charity has been taking veterans to the Netherlands for Dutch Liberation since 2012. The liberation event begins on 4 May when the Dutch remember the civilians and members of the armed forced who…

WWII veteran Marie Scott 96 became the first female veteran to light the flame of liberation at midnight on 4 May in the Netherlands. Marie Scott who transmitted messages to and from the beaches on D Day in WWII was given the honour of lighting the liberation flame in Wageningen at midnight on 4 May…

WWII Veteran Roy Smith’s passport renewal was collected just in time for him to travel to the Netherlands for Dutch Liberation. It was touch and go whether WWII Veteran Roy Smith from Sittingbourne would be able to travel to the Netherlands with the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans when his passport renewal got held up…