Name is a tribute to fiercest battle
VERDUN Hayes is proud of his unusual name which honours the 10-month Battle of Verdun – one of the longest and bloodiest of the First World War.
His father Joseph Hayes, who fought on the Western Front, came up with the name to honour the 700,000 French and German troops who perished in the battle.
Verdun, 102, who now lives in Croyde, Devon, said: “Today’s youngsters have no idea what my father’s generation went through on the battlefields.”
He became the world’s oldest skydiver last year when he leapt from a plane to raise money for the Royal British Legion.