The D-day veteran Harry Billinge, who at 18 was one of the first British soldiers to land on Gold beach in 1944, has died at the age of 96 after a short illness, his family have said.
As a sapper attached to the 44 Royal Engineer Commandos, Billinge was one of only four men from his 10-man unit to survive the landings and subsequent battles in France, later fighting in Caen and the Falaise pocket in Normandy.
He settled in Cornwall and went on to raise more than £50,000 for veterans, including for a national memorial honouring his fallen comrades. He was made an MBE in 2019 for charitable fundraising, and he was also awarded France’s highest award, the Légion d’honneur.
His daughter, Sally Billinge-Shandley, said: “He was a man that always gave his word, his word was solid. He always fought for what he believed in. The passion he had for all the veterans that lost their lives was unwavering.
“How he dedicated his life to making sure that was never forgotten, that’s how he’ll be remembered. The memorial for the Normandy veterans just became part of him; it was just a huge part of his life. Some of his last words were: ‘Love one another.’”
On being made an MBE, Billinge told BBC Breakfast: “I’m no hero, I was lucky, I’m here. All the heroes are dead and I’ll never forget them.”
A proud cockney, he grew up in Petts Wood in Kent but had been in Cornwall for 70 years. He set up shop as a barber and became president of the local clubs for the Royal British Legion and Royal Engineers. He made annual pilgrimages to the cemeteries of Normandy.
A tribute from British Normandy Memorial said: “The trust sends its deepest condolences to Harry’s wife, Sheila, and to all his family and friends.”
In 2020 Billinge was “deeply moved” to have a Great Western Railway (GWR) intercity express train named after him to mark 75 years since the end of the war.
Mark Hopwood, the GWR managing director, said: “We’re so sad to hear about the passing of our dear friend Harry Billinge MBE. It was our absolute honour to name one of our trains after him in October 2020 and we will never forget the impact he had on so many.”
Billinge is survived by his wife, Shelia, to whom he was married for 67 years, two daughters Sally and Margot, son Christopher and granddaughters Amy and Claire.
