D-Day hero Harry Howarth, who fearlessly leapt onto Sword Beach during the Allied invasion of France, has died at 103.
Normandy lionheart Harry, a signaller, fulfilled a lifetime ambition in February when he visited the stunning recently-unveiled memorial close to the beach he stormed 80-years earlier.
The sacrifice of soldiers who fell during the greatest amphibious and airborne assault in history is immortalised at British Normandy Memorial standing atop the golden sands which were stained red with blood on June 6, 1944 at Ver-sur-Mer between Arromanches and Courseulles.
Harry was desperate to return to pay tribute to his brothers in arms and silently read the roll call of fallen comrades whose names are etched into limestone flagstones.
The memorial records the 22,442 soldiers from more than 30 countries who served under British command and were killed in Normandy between June 6 to August 31, 1944.
Proud Harry from Southport, Merseyside, served with the Kings Shropshire Light Infantry, was due to visit again for the 80th anniversary commemorations in less than 50-days, but passed away in hospital.
Before February’s visit he had never seen the British Normandy Memorial and wanted to see the names of his friends before his eyesight went.
In a rare interview the modest soldier said: “There is nothing to say really. People say you did a good job but you didn’t, you just followed your leader. They think you’re a hero but I was just lucky.
“We weren’t there for glory we were there because we had to be. D-Day itself was just like another exercise. We had done it thousands and thousands of times [but] the noise…the terrible noise.”
In 2019 Harry was awarded The Legion of Honour, France’s highest order of merit.
And last year he was a VIP guest when Anne, the Princess Royal, visited Southport to rededicate the town’s war memorial.
Nearly 25,000 men stormed Gold beach on D-Day with the objective of capturing the town of Bayeux and the Caen-Bayeux road, and to link up with the Americans who landed on Omaha Beach.
High winds caused the tide to rise more quickly than expected, concealing the beach obstacles underwater. Harry almost drowned after being dropped in deep water, his life saved by a fried.
By the end of the day British troops had advanced about six miles inland and joined with troops from the Canadian 3rd Division, who had landed on Juno Beach to the east.
The Normandy invasion led to the liberation of occupied France and Western Europe and, ultimately, the end of the Second World War.
In less than 50 days the British Normandy Memorial will be where global leaders gather to formally honour those who fell.
It is expected King Charles, Prince William and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will head the British delegation, while US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Premier Justin Trudeau, Polish PM Donald Tusk and his German counterpart Olaf Scholz will also attend.
The British Normandy Memorial said: “We are saddened to hear D-Day Veteran Harry Howarth, who recently visited the Memorial, has passed away aged 103. We send our deepest condolences to Harry’s family and friends.”
