Britain's oldest D-Day veteran from Ilkeston care home is in for a surprise

Britain’s oldest D-Day veteran is to receive a ‘bucket list’ surprise courtesy of charity ‘The Not Forgotten’.

A statement said that, amidst all the coverage and hype of the 80th Anniversary of D-Day last week, 109-year old Donald Rose had sat "..alone and forgotten in his care home.."

'The Not Forgotten' claimed that Donald had been "uninvited to any national D-Day events despite his pivotal role on the Normandy beaches and his incredible age of 109" and that the Desert Rat veteran Donald had 'felt forgotten'.

But the organisation trumpeted that charity representatives had visited and spent time chatting to him, and during that time, the centenarian had revealed that one of the experiences on his well publicised 'bucket list' was to watch a performance of a full brass band.

Following an appeal, The Hucknall and Linby Mining Community Brass Band has offered to arrive at Canal Vue on Sunday 16th June at 11am to put on a surprise personal performance for him and his fellow residents.

Donald is Britain's oldest D-Day veteran.  As a ‘Desert Rat’ he was one of the first soldiers ashore on the Normandy beaches on 6th June 1944, tasked with lighting the beacons on the beaches which would guide the Allied forces into land.

Surviving D-Day and the rest of the war, Donald attributes his long life to “drinking a lot of salt water in North Africa” and “perhaps rum and chocolate”.

The charity claims that Donald was saddened to be overlooked during the national D-Day 80th Anniversary commemorations, had not been invited to any of the national memorial events or spoken to by BBC or ITV, and said that this was despite him being mobile and lucid enough to travel and speak engagingly.

Donald’s carers, along with Erewash Mayor Kate Fennelly invited the veterans’ charity ‘The Not Forgotten’ to come and perform for the residents - a service the charity offers to care homes country-wide to lift spirits and combat isolation and loneliness amongst veterans.

Donald told The Not Forgotten’s Entertainments Officer Annie Riley that he loved music and had enjoyed the concert, but that his real wish was to watch a full brass band. Annie set to work making his dream come true with an appeal on social media, and dozens of brass bands offered to travel to Erewash to play.

Mayor of Erewash Kate Fennelly said on social media: “Donald is our local hero and he deserves recognition for his service… The Not Forgotten are a fantastic charity who visit or take veterans to shows around the UK. They work tirelessly every year fundraising to make it all happen. I have been involved with them for many years and seen their work first hand and the fantastic things they do.”

Annie Riley, Entertainments Officer at The Not Forgotten, said: "We can never thank our veterans enough for their sacrifices, so it’s a small price to pay to ensure they are Not Forgotten! Donald is a lovely man and deserves his wish to come true. What a wonderful world we live in that we can all pull together and make this happen for our War Hero”.

The Not Forgotten is a 104-year-old charity which supports over 10,000 injured veterans and serving personnel each year. Through a year-round events programme of music events, days out, respite breaks, sporting fixtures, challenge events, and concerts in care homes around the UK, the charity works to combat isolation and loneliness amongst veterans and promote a sense of community and camaraderie, ensuring that no veteran ever feels forgotten and knows their service is remembered and valued.

You can find out more at www.thenotforgotten.org