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‘A D-Day veteran whose exploits will never be forgotten’: Nearly 100 mourners turn out for funeral of WWII hero who was among the first to step onto Sword Beach during D-Day in 1944

by www.dailymail.co.uk

Dozens of people paid tribute to a WWII veteran today who was among the first to step onto Sword Beach on D-Day in 1944.

Hero William Charles Garbett, who passed away at 93 on January 15, was given a Royal Navy guard of honour at his funeral service at St John’s Church in Walsall today with nearly 100 people attending to pay their respects.

Mr Garbett died just hours after he was awarded the Légion d’Honneur by Emmanuel Macron, though he was too ill to attend the ceremony as he suffered with pneumonia.   

The funeral procession of war hero, William Charles Garbett who died aged 93 arrives at Johns Church in Pleck, Walsall

William, who died at 93, was recently awarded a commendation from the President of France for his role during the war, although he was too unwell to attend. Pictured right is William during the war as a 17-year-old member of the Navy

He had joined the navy at 17 and saw his close friend killed when he stepped foot onto the beach in Normandy.

Mr Garbett was ‘much loved’ by his friends and family and they put out an appeal to veterans and members of the Royal British Legion to attend his funeral. 

Paying tribute at the funeral, his wife Iris wrote on the order of service: ‘Bill was a wonderful husband, uncle and friend. A Day veteran whose exploits will never be forgotten. Above all, he was my best friend and I will miss him forever. All my love, Iris xxx.’

A personal reflection, read by Steve Jasper, Mr Garbett’s niece’s husband, revealed how the veteran was tasked with building a sandbag castle during D-Day to signal to other troops when they could land.

Grief-stricken Iris Garbett (center), wife of war hero, William. The D-Day veteran was given a full guard of honour by HMS Forward which included two pipers and a ceremonial guard

Dozens paid their respects to the war hero, who was one of the first soldiers to set foot on Sword Beach in Normandy in 1944

William pictured with his wife Iris. She paid tribute to him at the service, writing: ‘Bill was a wonderful husband, uncle and friend. A Day veteran whose exploits will never be forgotten. Above all, he was my best friend and I will miss him forever. All my love, Iris’

Almost 100 people attended the funeral, with poignant tributes made to the war hero, including this one from his nephew and nieces

A personal reflection, read by Steve Jasper, Mr Garbett’s niece’s husband, revealed how the veteran was tasked with building a sandbag castle during D-Day to signal to other troops when they could land

He was ‘much loved’ by his friends and family and they put out an appeal to veterans and members of the Royal British Legion to attend his funeral

According to the account, Mr Garbett’s close friend, Leo Maguire Rafferty, who looked after him, took the first step on French soil but was shot dead by a sniper, with his body floating out to sea.

Mr Jasper told the Express and Star: ‘We took Bill back to Normandy on two occasions, once in 2005 and once in 2014 – a few weeks after the 70th anniversary celebrations. We took him to the exact spot on the beach where he landed.

‘Bill made sure his friend Leo’s life was not in vain. On the second occasion we visited Bill proudly wore his medals and it was like being with a celebrity.

‘It goes without saying, the family are immensely proud of him. He was a wonderful husband, uncle, friend and a hero for what he did all those years ago.’

Mr Garbett met his wife Iris in 1949 and they married two years later. His family revealed that his hobbies included growing flowers in his greenhouse, collecting stamps, model railways, reading and listening to music. 

He met his wife Iris (pictured) in 1949 and they married two years later. His family revealed that his hobbies included growing flowers in his greenhouse, collecting stamps, model railways, reading and listening to music

According to Mr Jasper’s account, Mr Garbett’s close friend, Leo Maguire Rafferty, who looked after him, took the first step on French soil but was shot dead by a sniper, with his body floating out to sea

Mr Jasper added that Mr Garbett made sure his friend Leo’s life was not in vain, visiting Normandy twice. On the second occasion they visited, the war hero proudly wore his medals and ‘it was like being with a celebrity’

What happened on Sword Beach during the D-Day landings in the Second World War? 

Sword Beach was the furthest east the five landing areas for Allied units during D-Day.

Units of the British 3rd Division, together with both British and French commandos, landed on Sword Beach on June 6, 1944.

Shortly after midnight on D-Day, soldiers from the 6th Airborne Division, in a daring glider-borne assault, seized bridges inland from the beach and also silenced artillery that threatened the seaborne Allied landing forces. 

Sword Beach is to the west of the city of Ouistreham, which was dotted with vacation homes and tourist establishments located behind a seawall. It was a key city to both the Allies and the Germans because of its transportation links to Caen. 

The Germans had fortified the area with relatively light defenses consisting of beach obstacles and fortified emplacements in sand dunes. For the most part, however, the defence of the beach was anchored on guns located in the coastal town of Merville.  

The German 716th Infantry Division, in particular, the 736th and 125th regiments, along with forces of the 21st Panzer Division were in the vicinity and were capable of defensive or offensive attacks. 

To the east, across the Dives River, lay the 711th Division. 

The Allied forces landed at 7.25am on D-Day and were greeted with moderate fire. They were able to put out suppressing fire and, by 8am, the fighting was mostly inland. 

By 1pm, the commandos had achieved their most important objective and had linked up with airborne troops at the bridges over the Orne waterways. 

On the right flank, the British had been unable to link up with Canadian forces from Juno Beach, and at 4pm tank forces and mechanized infantry units from the 21st Panzer Division launched the only serious German counterattack of D-Day.

 The 192nd Panzer Grenadier Regiment actually reached the beach at 8pm, but the division’s 98 panzers were halted by antitank weapons, air strikes, and Allied tanks themselves. 

The counterattack was stopped.

At the end of the day, the British had landed 29,000 men and had taken 630 casualties.

German casualties were much higher and many soldiers were taken prisoner. However, for the Allies the optimistic objectives of Caen and the Carpiquet aerodrome were still a long 5 km away. 

Source: Britannica.com 

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