Extraordinary lives
JUST two weeks after Dad was born in Ilford, Essex, his mother died. An only child, he was brought up by his father with the help of family. A quiet and shy boy, he left school in 1936 and worked for Ericsson, the telecommunications company, as a lineman. In 1942, at the age of 20, he was called up. After training at Maryhill Barracks, Glasgow, he was assigned to REME, the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, where his technical skills were in demand. Dad landed on Gold Beach, Arromanches, on D-Day and served with REME Beach Recovery in the 21st Army Group. As the troops moved through France and then Germany, his unit ensured lines of communications were kept open by removing and repairing damaged equipment. He always said: ‘I was proud to be part of it. I just did my bit.’ After the war in Europe ended, he continued to serve in India and Japan before he was discharged in 1947. His exemplary military conduct earned him the Legion
HAVE you lost a relative or friend in recent months whose life you’d like to celebrate? Our Friday column tells the stories of ordinary people who lived extraordinary lives. Email your 350-word tribute to: lives@ dailymail.co.uk or write to: Extraordinary Lives, Daily Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT. Please include a contact phone number. d’Honneur, which was presented to him by the French consul in 2016. After discharge from the Army, Dad returned to Ericsson until 1950 when he joined British Rail as an accounts clerk. It was there he met Betty and they married in 1960 in Richmond, Surrey. I was their only child. My parents retired to Eastbourne and after Dad was widowed in 2010, he continued to live an independent life, enjoying reading, watching nature programmes and listening to brass band music. When my husband Robin heard about Dad’s wartime service, we all visited Gold Beach in 2014, which brought back a lot of emotions. On last year’s 75th anniversary of D-Day, Dad was delighted at the flyover of the largest gathering of military aircraft since World War II over Beachy Head, East Sussex. An interview with the local website Hailsham News about his D-Day recollections had 7,000 views. Dad spent his last year in a local care home, where his cheeky personality and smile ensured he was popular with all the ladies. His long life was celebrated at a small private funeral where the REME standard was paraded and the Last Post played.
JOHN William Haydon, born February 25, 1922; died June 4, 2020, aged 98.