D-Day veteran George Chandler dies at 99, ashes to be scattered in Adriatic Sea so he can rest with his mates
D-Day veteran George Chandler died from pneumonia aged 99.
In short:
George Chandler, who served on a British motor torpedo boat during the 1944 D-Day landings, has died aged 99.
In later life he pushed back against romanticised views of the landings, saying he would never forget seeing young soldiers being sent to their deaths.
What's next?
His family will now scatter his ashes in the Adriatic Sea so he can rest with his mates who were lost during the war.
A D-Day veteran who served aboard a British motor torpedo boat during the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944 has died at the age of 99.
George Chandler died from pneumonia on October 19, and his family will scatter some of his ashes in the Adriatic so he can be with his mates who are buried at sea.
Post-war, Mr Chandler often countered the sometimes glamorous depictions of the landings by recalling the horrors he witnessed escorting US troops to the beaches of northern France as a young Royal Navy gunner.
He was one of the very few remaining D-Day survivors and attended the 80th anniversary of the landings last year.
Speaking at the event at Southwick House, on the south coast of England, he said the true experience of what it was like on that day in 1944 was vastly different to how popular culture portrays it.
"Let me assure you, what you read in those silly books that have been written about D-Day are absolute crap," he said at the event, which was held in the building that served as the Allied headquarters during the Battle of Normandy.
"It's a load of old rubbish. I was there, how can I forget it?''
Mr Chandler's torpedo boat was part of a flotilla of British vessels that escorted US Army soldiers to Omaha and Utah beaches during the Iandings.
He was on board as the sun rose on June 6, revealing an armada of ships "of all shapes and sizes" stretching from horizon to horizon as waves of aircraft flew overhead.
A navigation error meant the troops he was escorting landed too far to the west and they were mowed down as they hit the beaches, Mr Chandler recalled.
"It's a very sad memory because I watched young American Rangers get shot, slaughtered — and they were young. I was 19 at the time. These kids were younger than me," he said.
"I will never forget the sight of seeing those brave young men fighting and dying as they struggled to get off the beach."
The ship he served on spent a further three months escorting troops across the English Channel before being transferred to the Adriatic.
There, it struck a mine and sank on April 10, 1945. The incident saw 19 of the 31 crewmen killed.
Mr Chandler's son Paul said the family would scatter some of his father's ashes in the Adriatic so he can be with his mates who are buried at sea.
Mr Chandler lost his sight in later life, and he had planned to lead the Blind Veterans UK contingent during Britain's annual Remembrance Sunday ceremonies in central London in November.
His two granddaughters will now march in his place, joining the thousands of veterans who will troop past the Cenotaph, Britain's national war memorial.
AP/ABC
By：ABC(责任编辑：admin)
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