'Most of all we are proud that he was a man who was devoted to the service of others. 'We were extremely proud of his achievements and loved him dearly.
His son John Reed, 70, a retired Salvation Army commissioner, said: 'Harry was immensely proud of his family and took great delight in each one of them from the oldest to the youngest. The great-great grandfather of three, who did a 10,000ft charity tandem skydive with the Red Devils Display Team in 2019 to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day, died last month at his home in Bournemouth, Dorset after a short illness.ĭozens of family members, friends, Parachute Regimental Association and Salvation Army members gathered to pay their respects at Bournemouth Crematorium on Monday. Mr Read, a commissioner in the Salvation Army, was awarded the prestigious Legion D'Honneur in 2016 by the French government for his role in liberating the country from the Nazis.
Above: Mr Read posing with his medals, including France's Legion D'Honneur, and right during the war Harry Read was just 20-years-old when he was dropped behind enemy lines from a Dakota aircraft in the early hours of June 6, 1944. Mr Read set up wireless communications close to the bridge and helped stop German Panzer tanks and reinforcements from reaching the area in the days and weeks afterwards.Ī poignant final farewell has been paid to a hero D-Day paratrooper who fought in the Battle of Normandy following his death aged 97. The bridge was vital to the success of the Normandy invasion because it provided an exit to the thousands of troops landing at nearby Sword Beach. The regiment had the job and seizing and holding the famous Pegasus Bridge on D-Day.
Mr Read, a Royal Corps of Signals wireless operator, was part of the 6th Airborne Division. Some were then dragged down by their heavy gear and drowned.
#D DAY LANDINGS TORRENT#
He jumped through a torrent of enemy shell and gunfire and looked on from above as another Allied plane crashed into a ball of flames, killing all the men on board.ĭue to poor navigation, many of the paratroopers like Mr Read landed in flooded fields. A poignant final farewell has been paid to a hero D-Day paratrooper who fought in the Battle of Normandy following his death aged 97.
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