When 102-year-old WWII veteran Robbie Hall mentioned her wartime fiancé during a Taxi Charity trip, volunteers moved heaven and earth to reunite her with his grave, 81 years after he was killed in action. Robbie, who was christened Queenie, was engaged to RAF Flight Sergeant Frank Arthur Vincent when his Lancaster Bomber suffered a catastrophic…
WWII Veteran Norman Bartlett died on 17 March just one week short of his 99th birthday. Norrie joined the Navy in June 1942, aged 16, the minimum age was 17 so he used the common excuse of the time, that he had forgotten his birth certificate. During WWII, Norrie participated in D Day the Allied…
WWII veteran Reginald Pye, from Burry Port, Carmarthenshire died on 18 February aged 101. Reg or Reggie, as he was fondly known served with the 224 Field Company, Royal Engineers as a driver carrying sappers, mines and ammunitions. Normandy veteran Reg, like all those involved in WWII saw many experiences that would be forever imprinted…
WWII Dunkirk and Market Garden veteran Ray Whitwell died on Wednesday 20 November he was 105. During WWII Raymond ‘Ray’ Whitwell’, war took him from Dunkirk to North Africa and Italy before returning to England to prepare for Operation Market Garden in September 1944. In 2021 Ray shared his story with the Taxi Charity…
Born on 11 November 1924 John King celebrates his 100 birthday on 11 November 2024 – Armistice Day. John joined the Royal Navy in 1943 and was drafted on to HMS Janus which was involved in the bombardments of both coasts of Italy. He was a sight-setter on the warship’s stern gun, manning the range…
100 year old WWII veteran William ‘Bill’ Gladden, who flew into Normandy on D-Day, died at home in Haverhill on 24 April. William ‘Bill’ Gladden was born on the 13 January 1924. His parents were both from Yarmouth in Norfolk, but they raised him in Woolwich; his mother having worked in the Arsenal during the…
Tom Schaffer, from Mill Hill, who was affectionately known as the poster boy of the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans died on 16 March, he was 97. Tom was a regular on Taxi Charity trips across the UK and to the Netherlands and Normandy and for over 30 years. After enlisting during the war and…
WWII Veteran Alec Hall from Southend-on-Sea, died at home on Monday 16 October with his family by his side. Alec Hall, served with the 181 Field Ambulance (Airborne) as a medical nurse and was part of Operation Market Garden in 1944. He returned to the Netherlands on several occasions with the Taxi Charity for Military…
On Sunday 9 July, artist Tim Godden made the 300 mile journey from his home in North Devon to meet 99 year old WWII veteran Bill Gladden in Suffolk. At the meeting Tim presented Bill with an illustration depicting Bill on D Day and Bill presented Tim with a painting of Tim’s pet cat Percy.…
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…