Tributes paid to 'kind and humble' Shrewsbury D-Day veteran, 101

Thomas Knight, from Shrewsbury, has been fondly remembered by his family and the lasting contribution he made to the Royal Warwickshire Regiment during the Second World War, after he died on September 6 this year aged 101.

Tributes have been paid to the family man and veteran who loved his late wife Celia, dancing and gardening.

Thomas is survived by his son, Christopher Knight, and two grandchildren, Laura and Olivia.

Not only was Thomas a hero during the war, but he recently managed to beat Covid-19 after contracting it during the pandemic, at the extraordinary age of 100.

Shirley Davies, Christopher's partner, explained how Thomas had been a fighter his whole life, and that didn't change when he caught Covid while living in a care home in Shrewsbury.

"When Covid hit the country it was difficult when care homes went into lockdown and we couldn't see Tom," Shirley said.

"Then he actually caught Covid, and the care home thought we would lose him. So they let Christopher and I visit him, we were very much covered head to toe in PPE so we thought he wouldn't recognise us.

"He had so many nurses going in and out his room all with masks on. But when we went in he immediately recognised us and we could see the joy on his face.

"We truly believe that brought him back to us. Tom eventually died of old age, but he was a fighter. He was on no medication throughout his life.

"He was a true gentleman, loving husband, father, grandfather and friend, in every way."

Thomas's role in the D-Day landings was one of heroism and a bit of luck, said family friend Andrew Bannerman, whose father Captain Alastair Bannerman served with Tom during the war.

"He must be one of the last of our D-Day veterans," Andrew said. "They were an historic generation of men who risked their lives in this extraordinary invasion involving thousands of troops crossing the channel on June 6, 1944.

"It so happened that he was in the same battalion and anti-tank platoon as my father so when I found out by chance that Thomas was living in Shrewsbury, we ended up becoming friends and visited him and his wife.

"The bit involving my father and Tom was a short and rather disastrous event on June 7 involving the Royal Warwickshire Regiment. The intelligence was very bad and it thought that the woods the soldiers would be going through would be thinly defended - when in fact it was heavily defended.

"Tom was in the anti-tank column which was commanded by my father. They soon found themselves through the enemy lines. Tom was further down the column where many were killed and wounded.

"He had to organise a retreat of men who were left and get them back to base. Extraordinarily, most of them managed to do it.

"The last of a dwindling band of heroes really. The fusiliers are actually attending his funeral on Wednesday to show their respect for his service."

Thomas, Celia and Christopher moved to Shrewsbury in 1967 after his time serving in the Second World War, where he lived on Preston Street before moving into the Briarfields Care Home around two years ago.

Shirley said Thomas would always be thinking of others, and his kindness is what she will remember most.

"He was a humble man and always talked about the camaraderie mainly," she said. "Celia had been the love of his life.

"They met each other in their 20s so they had a long life together. He was a very kind man and devoted to his wife.

"He carried on working well into his 70s in the shoe trade. He retired but was bored so went to work in a garden centre – gardening was his other love in life.

"He worked there until his 80s and was even the Father Christmas for several years. He loved children. Tom was also involved with the churches in Shrewsbury for many years."