Albrighton D-Day veteran Bill Bray dies aged 97
A World War Two hero from Shropshire who helped destroyed seven enemy tanks and disable two others on D-Day has died at the age of 97.
John William Bray, 97, from Albrighton, who was known as Bill, died on Christmas Day, following a short illness.
Part of A Squadron in the Staffordshire Yeomanry, Mr Bray, who was 17 when he signed up, was awarded Légion d'Honneur, France's highest military accolade, at a special ceremony at RAF Cosford in August.
It was his 24th birthday on June 6, 1944, the date of the famous landings.
He was a tank driver on Sword Beach and later took part in major campaigns, including being part of the Allied Forces’ crossing of the Rhine in Germany in 1945.
At the end of August a street party was held in Albrighton in Mr Bray's honour. Among the guests was 98-year-old Les Cherrington, from Shifnal, an old friend and fellow tank driver. The pair had not seen each other for 70 years.
A tea party was also held in September for Mr Bray, at the Red House in Albrighton. Members of the Staffordshire Yeomanry presented him with a tie, while the village’s council unveiled a plaque in recognition of his heroic service.
