A naval hero who helped force the Government into a climbdown on veterans funding has died at the age of 100.
Talented amateur boxer and Second World War warrior Peter Kent went into battle on behalf of his chums after an earlier promise was withdrawn.
Peter, who saw action on D-Day as a crewman on HMS Adventure, described the desertion of wartime heroes as a “betrayal”.
His intervention on the eve of VE Day was instrumental in forcing ministers into a humiliating u-turn and the promise of cash to pay for battlefield visit bed and board.
Wheelchair-bound Peter from Pimlico, London, died of a chest infection on Sunday night.
Peter married Rene in 1955 in a union that lasted until her death in 2013. The couple had two sons, Stephen and John.
Stephen, 64, said: “Dad did fantastically well to reach the age he did. He did a lot of good work for a lot of people. He was a good man.”
Peter signed up with the Royal Navy on his 18th birthday in 1943 and was just 19 when the mighty Normandy Invasion took place.
He was unable to make an emotional return to Northern France with the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans to mark the 81st anniversary of D-Day earlier this month, although the memories of what he experienced remained indelibly etched in his memory.
HMS Adventure was a support and repair vessel that helped troops, supplies and reinforcements land on Gold Beach at Arromanches via Mulberry Harbours towed across the Channel from Britain.
The prefabricated concrete blocks became known as Port Winston, named after wartime leader Winston Churchill, and ferried 2.5 million men, 500,000 vehicles and four million tonnes of supplies ashore as British troops stormed Nazi-occupied France.
The monuments remain today as ghostly figures in the water, witnesses to the biggest invasion in military history.
Speaking to the Daily Express earlier this year the crewman said: “I was with the landing parties on the beach taking things onto the Mulberry – in and out. It is so sad that so many boys got killed and so sad to see all the memorials when I return.”
Proud Londoner Peter was a useful amateur boxer and former schoolboy champion, light entertainer, and enthusiastic charity supporter.
After being told there was no money for veterans’ trips to Europe, reneging on a cast-iron promise, Peter said: “I watched friends fall beside me fighting for freedom. We gave everything. To be told the Government would help us honour them this year, only to have that promise torn away, feels like a betrayal. This isn’t just a funding cut – it’s the ultimate snub to those who never came home.”
Hours after his broadside at the Government the Ministry of Defence confirmed travel, accommodation and welfare costs for veterans, plus a carer each, would be fully funded for D-Day and other commemorations.
In April Peter was honoured with a gala birthday bash at the Union Jack Club where he received a gold-embossed card from the King and Queen containing a hand-signed greeting that read: “We are so pleased to know you are celebrating your one hundredth birthday. This brings our warmest congratulations and heartfelt good wishes on such a special occasion.”
John, 68, said: “Dad had a heart bigger than himself. He helped others all his life.”
Dick Goodwin, Vice President, Taxi Charity for Military Veterans, said: “We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of our dear friend and Second World War naval veteran Peter Kent, who left us on Sunday 22 June at the remarkable age of 100.
“Peter was a true character, always ready with a song, a dance, a swirl of his walking stick and a smile.
“A proud veteran and a natural entertainer, Peter reminded us all of the spirit and resilience of his generation. He used to be a regular on our trips to Normandy for the D-Day commemorations and loved attending our charity events here in the UK, where his presence always lifted the room.
“He will be sorely missed by all of us at the Taxi Charity. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family and friends.”
