Celebrations for Albrighton D-Day veteran Bill - with pictures
A veteran has been honoured for his service during the D-Day landings.
John William Bray, 97, of Albrighton, known as Bill, was the subject of two special presentations, both arranged to mark his actions in the famous allied offensive.
At an evening service held at the Red House in Albrighton, members of the Staffordshire Yeomanry, Mr Bray’s former regiment, presented him with a tie, while the village’s council unveiled a plaque in recognition of his heroic service.
The plaque will be fitted to a bench, which will sit in the village. Mr Bray was part of a team that destroyed seven enemy tanks and disabled two others.
It was his 24th birthday on June 6, 1944, the date of the famous landings.
He was a tank driver on Sword Beach and later took part in major campaigns, including being part of the Allied Forces’ crossing of the Rhine in Germany in 1945.
His daughter, Heather Lenthall, 69, who lives in Newport, said she was amazed at the way the village had come together to honour her father.
She said: “The event was lovely, there was a tea party.
“The Yeomanry didn’t really know my dad existed, so they all got together to organise something. They gave him a tie and they have arranged for him to have a beret, they are also going to arrange for him to have his medals displayed.
"The village, and the Grove where he lives have been fantastic. They have given him a wheelchair and on Monday he was given a reclining chair, which is really nice for him.”
Part of A Squadron in the Staffordshire Yeomanry, Mr Bray, who was 17 when he signed up, was awarded the Ordre national de la Légion d’Honneur at a special ceremony at RAF Cosford at the start of September.
Earlier this month Albrighton residents also turned out to celebrate Mr Bray as he was presented with France’s highest military honour.
A street party was then held for the 97-year-old to mark the occasion.At the ceremony he was also reunited with Shifnal man Les Cherrington, 98, who had been in his regiment.
The pair had not seen each other for 70 years. Mandy Medlyn, manager of the Red House, said they had raised £1,200 for Mr Bray through the party.
She added: “Veterans of the Staffordshire Yeomanry saw Mr Bray on the news and they called me to try and make contact with him. Because of that, that is how the event came about.”
Heather added: “This wouldn’t have happened without Mandy Medlyn. Years ago she used to live next to my mum and dad and they used to look after her little girl. She organised the whole thing.
“Dad is a little bit like a celebrity at the moment, we keep saying he is going to appear in Hello magazine!”
Mr Bray is now a grandfather of two and a great-grandfather of four.
At the celebration on Monday, Mr Bray was also presented with some money that had been collected by fundraisers during the street party.
