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…
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…
Born on 21 June 1924, WWII veteran Robert ‘Robbie’ Larnach from Lybster near Caithness in Scotland died on 26 February 2023 aged 98. One of seven brothers he was conscripted in 1942 and served with the 25th Field Regiment Royal Artillery. He landed on Sword beach on D Day +15 on his 20th birthday and…
In 2022 WWII Veteran Roy Maxwell was in Normandy for the D Day commemorations with the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans. On 5 June the charity brought a group of WWII veterans to a service at Pegasus Museum and after the service Roy met Anthony Lang and his son and spent some time chatting together…