D-Day hero Henry Rice dies aged 100

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 12 Oct, 18:57 · Archive

Henry Rice, a Royal Navy signalman who served on HMS Eastway during the D-Day landings, has died aged 100. Born in Clapham, Mr Rice was among the remaining few servicemen who took part in the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied north-west Europe. He delivered troops, vehicles and supplies to the beaches just days after the initial assault on 6 June 1944. GB News reports that he survived a torpedo attack during his service and was awarded the Legion d'honneur, France's most prestigious distinction, for his wartime contribution.

The Daily Express reports that Mr Rice was one of two surviving D-Day veterans who returned to France for the 82nd anniversary of the landings in June this year, alongside his friend Ken Hay, who died at 101 last month. Speaking to the Express in Normandy, Mr Rice reflected on the dwindling numbers of survivors, saying that a couple of years earlier there had been seven of them, then five, and finally two. He explained that he returned to Normandy each year 'because it is my duty'.

In his later years, GB News reports that Mr Rice became a tireless champion of remembrance, urging schools to do more to educate young people about the Normandy campaign and the realities of conflict. His death marks another profound loss to Britain's vanishing generation of wartime heroes.

How it is being reported

• One of Britain's last surviving D-Day heroes who survived torpedo attack dies aged 100A war veteran who is one of Britain's final D-Day survivors has died today. Henry Rice, a Second World War veteran who served as a signalman aboard HMS Eastway during the Normandy landings, died aged 100. The Cranleigh, Surrey, resident was among the remaining few servicemen who took part in one of the greatest and most consequential military operations in history. Born in Clapham, Mr Rice played his part in the Allied effort to liberate Nazi-occupied north-west Europe, delivering troops, vehicles and supplies to Juno Beach just days after the initial D-Day assault on June 6, 1944. TRENDING…GB News · 12 Oct, 18:38
• D-Day hero who spent 82 years asking himself 'why me' dies aged 100Royal Navy Signalman and grandfather-of-five Henry Rice served on the landing ship HMS Eastway ferrying soldiers and supplies to the blood-soaked D-Day invasion beaches.Daily Express · 12 Oct, 07:08

In this story: Henry Rice · HMS Eastway · Normandy · Ken Hay · Sword Beach · Juno Beach · Clapham · Cranleigh

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem