ONE of Barnsley’s last D-Day veterans honoured for his role in liberating France from the Nazis has died at the age of 94.
Frank Brown was in the Royal Navy from 1942 to 1946, serving on torpedo boats in the coastal forces, and took part in the pivotal Normandy landings in June 1944 which marked the ‘beginning of the end’ of the war and led to victory in Europe.
He died last Tuesday at Barnsley Hospital, where he was admitted last month on his 94th birthday.
Two years ago he was awarded the Légion d’Honneur medal by the French government - France’s highest decoration - in recognition of his service on D-Day.
“It was a very proud moment,” said his partner of many years, Gill Partington.
“Like many of that generation, he didn’t like to talk about the war. It was only in recent years he did start to speak about it, and he opened up to me.
“He was so young. He was only 18 when he went in, and only 22 when he came out. To see what they saw at that young age, you just can’t imagine it today.”
Frank, of Earlsmere Drive, Ardsley, came to Barnsley in 1966 as group catering manager for Barnsley’s eight hospitals. He went on to serve as catering manager at Sheffield University, where he remained until retirement in 1983.
He had been born in Caton, near Lancaster, where his children were born, and before moving to Barnsley had a spell working at a hospital in Kent.
He was a keen gardener, and won numerous awards for his garden, including several awards as recently as last year’s Barnsley in Bloom competition.
He took first place in both the best garden senior citizen category and best vegetable category, and second prize in the best environmentally friendly/wildlife garden.
“He was also a keen singer,” said Gill. “Not in choirs or anything like that, but if you didn’t get a song out of him, you knew something was wrong.
“Frank spent the last few weeks of his life, before going into hospital, at Parkside residential home in Wombwell where he received excellent care from a wonderful staff team. And they got used to his singing too.”
As well as Gill, he leaves four children, eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. His wife Dorothy died 18 years ago.
Goff Griffiths, chairman of the Barnsley Churchfield branch of the Royal British Legion, said: “He was there at Normandy and helped liberate France, but he didn’t speak much about any of that.
“But it’s definitely true to say he was one of Barnsley’s great characters we’ve lost.”
A funeral service is being held at Barnsley Crematorium at 10.10am this morning, followed by a celebration of his life at Christ Church, Ardsley, from 10.30am.
