Donald Rose, believed to be Britain’s oldest Second World War veteran and possibly the country’s oldest man, has died at the age of 110.
Born on Christmas Eve in 1914, Mr Rose served with distinction during World War II and was among the first Allied troops to storm the beaches on D-Day, where he was wounded in the leg.
Raised in Westcott, near Dorking in Surrey, he was the youngest of eight siblings. In 1940, at age 25, he enlisted in Guildford and trained at Stoughton Barracks before deploying to North Africa, where he became one of the famed Desert Rats, the British Army brigade celebrated for their role in the Siege of Tobruk.
Later, Mr Rose was part of a critical advance team that placed beacon lamps on the beaches of Normandy, helping guide Allied forces ashore in the push to liberate Europe from Nazi control.
In recognition of his service, Mr Rose was awarded the Freedom of the Borough by Erewash Borough Council in May. Council leader James Dawson called him a war hero and said the borough was honoured to count him as a resident. Flags were flown at half-mast across Erewash to mark his passing.
Mr Rose remained humble about his contributions. Accepting his award, he said: “I didn’t do anything that anyone else would not have done.”
Donald Rose’s moment before death
Just weeks before his death, Mr Rose joined 45 other veterans at a Royal British Legion event at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, commemorating the 80th anniversary of Germany’s surrender in World War II. Reflecting on that historic day, he recalled:
“When I heard that the Armistice had been signed 80 years ago, I was in Germany at Belsen. We just did what we thought was right, and it was a relief when it was over. I never would have believed I would be remembering this day at 110 years old.”
According to the European Supercentenarian Organisation, the oldest man in the UK is now Hugh Kerr of Paisley, Scotland, aged 109. The oldest person in both the UK and Europe is Ethel Catherham of Lightwater, Surrey, aged 115. Women account for 18 of the 20 oldest people in the UK.
Donald Rose’s legacy as a soldier, a centenarian, and a humble witness to history lives on.
