Hundreds of people lined the streets to pay tribute at the funeral of one of Britain’s last surviving
D-Day heroes.
Harry Billinge passed away aged 96 following a short illness last month - 76 years after storming Gold Beach.
He then spent the rest of his life raising money for charity and ensuring the sacrifices made by his fallen comrades were never forgotten.
Harry, of St Austell, Cornwall, last year said he completed his “final mission” in returning to France to open a memorial he helped secure on the beaches of Normandy.
And to pay tribute to his dedication and service, the streets of his home town were lined with well-wishers seeing him off on his final journey.
A procession began in St Austell at 10.10am this morning before heading towards his former home of Charlestown where a public funeral was held at St Paul’s Church from 11am.
People travelled from all over the country to pay respects to Harry, including people from Normandy.
Around 50 service personnel were in attendance to join a Guard of Honour with a further 200 people gathering for the service.
An Armed Forces spokesperson said: “On this sad occasion we will remember how Harry’s extraordinary service on D-Day and in the decades since has inspired so many of today’s service personnel.”
Harry was a “committed” Christian and inside his coffin is his bible that he got on the coronation of Elizabeth II.
Nicholas Witchell, of the Normandy Memorial Trust, said told the service how D-Day had a “profound” effect on Harry with just four out of 10 of his commando unit surviving.
He said: “Harry knew the reality - war is a terrible thing. He knew just how terrible.
“He was determined to discharge his final duty to friends and colleagues who never came home from the battlefield. The duty to remember.”
The service was led by The Revd Canon Malcolm Bowers with singer and TV presenter Aled Jones singing the hymn Let There Be Peace on Earth.
The WW2 hero went on to raise tens of thousands of pounds in his lifetime - collecting money for military causes and selling poppies.
Last April he achieved his lifelong dream of seeing the creation of a D-Day memorial in France and vowed to continue to “tell that story’’ until he died.
He said it was his “greatest wish” was to see a memorial built in his lifetime that would honour men who died on Gold Beach in 1944.
Harry was later awarded an MBE and also had a GWR train named after him.
He spent an incredible 69 years raising money for military charities and leaves behind wife Sheila, daughters Margot and Sally, son Christopher and granddaughters Amy and Claire.
Paying tribute on behalf of the family, Margot said: “”Harry was a very loving husband who always looked after mum. He was steadfast in his love for her.
“As a dad, he taught us great values: honesty, kindness, generosity and not to judge.
“Harry wanted future generations to never forget his comrades who fell in Normandy. If members of the public would like to pay their respects to Harry, we ask that they become guardians of the British Normandy Memorial.”
Paying tribute at the time of his death, The British Legion said: “Man Down. I am saddened to inform you that our brother Horace ’Harry’ Billinge, has passed away this morning at home.
‘’Harry a veteran of the ‘D’ Day landings and orchestrator of the Normandy memorial, which he got to see recently with his family, shortly after receiving his MBE from the HM The Queen. RIP Harry.”
The funeral was followed by a cremation for immediate family only.
