South Gloucestershire Council is deeply saddened to learn of the death of Harry Francis, one of our area’s last surviving Second World War veterans, at the remarkable age of 101.<\/p>\n
Harry’s life was one of extraordinary courage, service and sacrifice. Joining the Royal Navy in 1942 at just 16 years old, before later transferring to the Royal Marines and becoming one of the first members of the Special Boat Service, he served his country with distinction in some of the most dangerous theatres of the Second World War. His service took him behind enemy lines in Italy, Lebanon and Burma, where he was wounded in action.<\/p>\n
While Harry’s wartime achievements were exceptional, those who met him will remember not only his bravery but also his warmth, humility and willingness to share his experiences with future generations. His stories gave a personal connection to history and helped ensure that the sacrifices made by his generation will never be forgotten.<\/p>\n
Harry remained a much-valued member of the South Gloucestershire community throughout his later years. It was a privilege for many in our community and beyond to celebrate his 100th birthday and to recognise the contribution he made both during the war and throughout his long life.<\/p>\n
Councillor Ian Boulton, Co Leader of South Gloucestershire Council and President of the Staple Hill and District branch of the Royal British Legion, said:\u00a0“It was a great privilege to know Harry as a Royal British Legion comrade, neighbour and through family connections. Despite the extraordinary and heroic experiences he had during the war, Harry remained a modest and thoroughly good-humoured man.<\/p>\n
“Last year, when the Royal British Legion took our VJ Day commemoration to Harry, it was clear how much respect and affection he inspired in everyone around him.<\/p>\n
“Harry represented a generation whose courage, resilience and sense of duty helped secure the freedoms we enjoy today. As the number of Second World War veterans sadly continues to diminish, it becomes ever more important that we remember their stories and honour their sacrifices.<\/p>\n
“On behalf of South Gloucestershire Council, I extend our sincere condolences to Gwen and the rest of Harry’s family, friends and fellow veterans. We thank him for his service and sacrifice, and we will remember him with great respect and gratitude.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lest we forget.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
South Gloucestershire Council is deeply saddened to learn of the death of Harry Francis, one of our area’s last surviving Second World War veterans, at the remarkable age of 101. Harry’s life was one of extraordinary courage, service and sacrifice. Joining the Royal Navy in 1942 at just 16 years old, before later transferring to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":26389,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[541],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.southglos.gov.uk\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26388"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.southglos.gov.uk\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.southglos.gov.uk\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.southglos.gov.uk\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.southglos.gov.uk\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26388"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.southglos.gov.uk\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26388\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26390,"href":"https:\/\/sites.southglos.gov.uk\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26388\/revisions\/26390"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.southglos.gov.uk\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26389"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.southglos.gov.uk\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26388"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.southglos.gov.uk\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26388"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.southglos.gov.uk\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26388"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}