D-day veteran, 98, put up in hostel after eviction from Dorset home
A 98-year-old D-day veteran has been evicted from his rented bungalow in Dorset and moved into a single room in a hostel.
Alfred Guenigault lived for seven years in the rented property in Ferndown with his daughter Deb Dean, who is his carer, and her husband, Bernard Dean. All three have been forced to move after being served with a no-fault eviction notice by their landlord.
Dorset council has told Guenigault, who has cancer, kidney disease and a broken hip, that it could be months before they can rehouse the three of them.
The single room in St Gabriel’s hostel in neighbouring Verwood has one hospital-style bed for Guenigault and he has to share a kitchen and bathroom with other residents. His daughter and son-in-law are living in a separate room in the same hostel.
Deb Dean said: “We received a solicitor’s letter for a no-fault eviction. The elderly landlord is a friend of ours but he is in ill health and his children have decided to sell. They have followed the correct process so our issue is not so much with them but with Dorset council. We are told we could be in a hostel for six to eight months. My concern is that in six months he may not even be here any more.
“He also won’t be able to see his grandchildren or any of his church friends who come over to see him. His life is in Ferndown. My father fought in the war and this is the treatment he gets. He is so proud of his medals but he has told me they seem worthless.”
Guenigault said: “I don’t want to make a fuss. I suppose life goes on. The problem is I have lived too long.”
Dorset council said it would work with the family to find suitable accommodation. It said: “Unfortunately, being homeless inevitably comes with disruption and upheaval, which we seek to mitigate in so far as possible.”
Christopher Chope, the MP for Christchurch, said: “The government is finding an enormous amount of money to pay for asylum seekers to live on a barge at Portland with lots of costs to Dorset council, yet the concerns of local people seem to be relegated down the pecking order. The council should be doing more in this case.”
Jimmy Dukes, the chief executive of the charity UK Homes 4 Heroes, said: “It is a disgrace. This is a man who served his country and he is treated like this. They should give him a bit of dignity.”