D- Day hero relives life on the frontline
A D- DAY hero celebrated his 101st birthday and was reunited with the armoured vehicle he drove as a Desert Rat.
Hector Duff, who fought in Normandy and North Africa, spent many hours behind the wheel on manoeuvres in the desert between 1941 and 1943.
The decorated veteran, who was awarded an OBE this year, had not seen the Daimler Dingo scout car since the war.
Named after the Australian wild dog, they were used for reconnaissance missions during the Second World War.
Hector, from the Isle of Man, said it brought back memories from a “different world”, adding: “I felt proud and honoured that people would do something so nice and lovely for me.
“I remember landing on D- Day and then going to Berlin for the first time. It was a different world. I used to be with the Desert Rats, and I was quite proud of that. It was really emotional to see the Dingo which I hadn’t seen since the
war. They even let me drive around for a bit. I’m the only one in my group from the Army who is left so I feel quite old.”
It was arranged by the Manx Aviation Preservation Society. One of the members had one of the scouts that Hector drove.
Secretary Ivor Ramsden said: “I knew about the vehicle and desperately wanted to present it to Hector as a surprise for his birthday.” Hector fought with
the 7th Armoured Division, nicknamed the Desert Rats for their service in North Africa. He was awarded the Military Medal for bravery during the second Battle of El- Alamein, Egypt, in 1942.
Once he parked in full view of enemy soldiers to draw off an attack on an allied unit.
In 2013 he was awarded the British Empire Medal for his work sharing his wartime memories experience.