Henry Rice, a World War Two veteran from Cranleigh in Surrey who served as a signalman aboard HMS Eastway during the Normandy landings, has died aged 100.
Rice arrived at Juno Beach five days after D-Day, helping deliver vehicles, men and equipment to reinforce the Allied effort. He survived a close encounter when a torpedo fired at his boat passed beneath the hull. Afterward, he served in Malta, the Gulf, Sri Lanka, Burma and Singapore.
Rice received France’s Legion d’honneur and remained committed to remembering those who went to war and never returned. He attended events including the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey and the Cenotaph Parade, and handed Queen Camilla the final ceramic poppy planted at the Tower of London to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
In March, his family held a celebration for his 100th birthday. He later revisited Normandy for a remembrance service and said the return meant everything to him. Earlier this year, he met fellow D-Day veteran Ronald Hendrey for the first time to share memories of the invasion.
Rice had urged schools to teach children more about the Normandy landings, saying the world was dangerous. He said veterans generally discussed their wartime experiences quietly among themselves and described his life as a “super lifetime.” He died two weeks after fellow Normandy veteran Kenneth Hay, who was 101 and had spent years educating children about World War Two.