Henry Rice, Second World War veteran who was part of D-Day landings, dies aged 100

A Second World War veteran who served in the Royal Navy as part of the D-Day landings has died at the age of 100.

Henry Rice, from Cranleigh, Surrey, was a signaller on HMS Eastway, a ship which transported Allied troops and equipment to Normandy in 1944.

He arrived off Juno Beach five days after D-Day, and was awarded the Legion d'Honneur order of merit from the French government for his service.

The Spirit of Normandy Trust, a charity that promotes veteran welfare, announced Mr Rice's death in a statement on Monday and called him a "great character with a cheeky smile".

It said he was "committed to remembering those who were sent to war and never returned".

Mr Rice travelled to France in June with a group of veterans to mark the 82nd anniversary of the landings.

He discussed his memories of the war with French schoolchildren alongside fellow Normandy veteran Ken Hay, who died last month aged 101.

He previously told the Press Association about the importance of teaching younger generations about the war, saying in 2024: "I think it's important, this world is dangerous at the moment.

"If those children grow up into adults and know what this is all about, collectively they can go to politicians, Russians can go to Putin and say 'Oi, we've had all this before. We don't want it. Stop it, please'.

"Whether the bigwigs will listen to us is another matter, but I really believe that if the population generally made their feelings known, I don't mean going up and down the street screaming rubbish, the politicians may listen."

After the Normandy landings, Mr Rice served in the Mediterranean and the Far East.

He worked on cruise ships and later joined the local fire service after the war ended.

Mr Rice attended various remembrance events in the UK, including the planting of ceramic poppies at the Tower of London in May 2025 - during which he gave Queen Camilla the last poppy to be placed to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day.

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The Spirit of Normandy Trust said: "Henry always represented the veterans with dignity, particularly when asked to lay a wreath on behalf of his colleagues or to recite the exhortation or kohima epitaph.

"Henry was a great character, with a cheeky smile that endeared him to everyone he met.

"He will be greatly missed by all and we offer his family our most sincere condolences."

(c) Sky News 2026: Henry Rice, Second World War veteran who was part of D-Day landings, dies aged 100