WW2 veteran who took part in D-Day invasion dies aged 101

A D-Day veteran from Wolverhampton who served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War, has sadly died at the age of 101.

Bill Redston passed away peacefully during the early hours of Wednesday at Bridge Manor Care Home in Wombourne, according to his son.

He leaves behind three children, two grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

His son, Chris Redston, told the BBC: "He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him."

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Originally from Maidenhead where he was born in 1924, Mr Redston grew up in the Thames Valley before settling in Wolverhampton, where he lived for over six decades.

At just 18 years of age, he enlisted in the navy as a commissioned officer, earning promotion to first lieutenant within months.

His wartime duties included missions to the French coast under German occupation, where he and his crew extracted British intelligence agents requiring urgent evacuation.

Mr Redston played a direct role in the Normandy invasion, with his motor launch accompanying a convoy of vital supply ships to Utah Beach on the day after the American assault.

As a young officer, he spent four years serving in the navy throughout the historic war, with his survival during the invasion coming down to a lucky twist of fate.

He had originally been assigned to guide American troops onto Utah Beach, but US forces opted to have one of their own vessels lead the landing.

His crew was reassigned to transport barges across the Channel instead.

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The ship that took their place was destroyed within the first thirty minutes of the operation, becoming the first allied vessel lost during D-Day, with numerous crew members killed or wounded.

Following the securing of Normandy, Mr Redston and his fellow sailors were deployed to Burma for patrol duties until Japan's surrender ended hostilities.

He subsequently oversaw Japanese prisoners of war in Singapore before returning home in 1946.

Upon returning to civilian life, Mr Redston embarked on a career as a civil engineer with Wolverhampton-based construction firm Tarmac, where he contributed to building Britain's first motorway.

His construction career spanned nearly three decades before he took on part-time work with Action Heart, a cardiac rehabilitation charity based in Dudley, eventually retiring in 1994 aged 79.

In 2021, the French ambassador presented Mr Redston with the Legion d'Honneur medal in recognition of his D-Day service.

He described receiving France's highest honour as one of the proudest moments of his life.

The veteran ran the London Marathon when he was 65, and the New York Marathon when he was 66, also serving as a member of his local cycling club well into his eighties.

The impressive Mr Redston is said to have been able to still walk over a mile until well after his 100th birthday.

Over the years, he met King Charles on two occasions, as well as the Duke of Edinburgh in 2024, and the Princess of Wales in 2025.

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