A 99-year-old paratrooper who was among the first group of Allied troops deployed on D-Day has died.
Roy Burr jumped into Normandy just after midnight on June 6, 1944, as part of the 22nd Independent Parachute Company.
The company was tasked with marking drop zones on the French coast ahead of the incoming parachute battalions.
Mr Burr’s death was announced by Bristol Normandy Veterans, which said: “It is with great sadness that I have been informed that our veteran Roy Burr died peacefully on Tuesday evening.”
TRENDING
Stories
Videos
Your Say
Mr Burr attended the group’s meetings regularly until the Covid-19 pandemic.
A spokesman wrote: “I would ring him every month the weekend before our meeting and say, ‘Hello Roy,’ and he would reply, ‘Hello mate, I know why you are calling but I’m not up to coming.’
“He always had a lovely smile to greet you. RIP. You will always be remembered as a valued member of the Bristol Normandy Veterans.”
Photos posted by the group showed Mr Burr wearing his wartime uniform, a parachutist badge, his medals, and the emblem of Britain’s airborne forces: Bellerophon, a hero from Greek mythology.
Mr Burr has died peacefully, aged 99
|FACEBOOK / PAUL TURNER
Mr Burr’s division was formed in 1943 and was tasked with destroying the Merville Gun Battery on D-Day, a fortified German artillery position that threatened the landing operation on Sword Beach, eight miles away.
An assault involving more than 650 paratroopers was planned, but only 150 men reached the site in time for the attack.
Despite the reduced numbers, the force remained steadfast in its mission and, after 50 per cent became casualties, the guns were successfully silenced in time for the landings.
The Merville Barracks in Colchester, Essex, was named in tribute to the operation and now houses the Parachute Regiment.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
The division spent six weeks advancing across Germany
|FACEBOOK / PAUL TURNER
The division remained in France until August before being deployed to the Ardennes during the Battle of the Bulge.
In March 1945, it took part in the largest airborne operation in history, Operation Varsity.
More than 16,000 troops were dropped in a single day as part of the push to cross the northern Rhine and advance into Germany.
The division then spent six weeks advancing across Germany before reaching the Baltic Sea.
Mr Burr was part of a division that has since become immortalised for its efforts
|FACEBOOK / PAUL TURNER
Later that year, it was deployed to Palestine during an insurgency against British rule, before being disbanded in 1948.
Only a small group of the unit’s veterans are believed to still be alive.
Please write at least 4 paragraphs
More From GB News