‘Larger-than-life’ D-Day veteran George Chandler dies aged 99

A D-Day veteran who served as a torpedo boat gunner escorting American forces has died at the age of 99.

George Chandler, from Burgess Hill, West Sussex, who lost his sight in later life, was to have led the Blind Veterans UK contingent at the Cenotaph in London on Remembrance Sunday, alongside his granddaughters Lucy Tucknott, 31, and Faye West, 28.

The charity has invited them to march with them in their grandfather’s memory.

At the age of 19 he served with the 59th flotilla on June 6, 1944, to escort the US army assault on Omaha and Utah beaches.

Ahead of the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Mr Chandler told the PA news agency: “Let me assure you, what you read in those silly books that have been written about D-Day are absolute crap, it’s a load of old rubbish.

“I was there, how can I forget it? It’s a very sad memory because I watched young American Rangers, not shot, slaughtered.

Speaking to Blind Veterans UK, he added: “At 4 o’clock in the morning, as the sun came up, as far as you could see were boats and ships. Absolutely amazing.

“We watched all the planes going over and the sea was covered from horizon to horizon with ships of all shapes and sizes.”

He said: “Unfortunately, due to a navigation error, the Americans were landed a mile and a half too far to the west, and were slaughtered as they came in.

“Half of them didn’t have time to get off their assault craft. It was something I wouldn’t want anybody to watch. Very brave men.

“I will never forget the sight of seeing those brave young men fighting and dying as they struggled to get off the beach.”

For about three months without a break, Mr Chandler’s flotilla returned to Newhaven each night for refuelling and rearming and a few hours of sleep before returning across the Channel.

After the Normandy campaign, his boat was deployed to the Mediterranean where it suffered damage before being sunk in April 1945.

He said: “I think the saddest thing that happened during my naval career was when we were sunk. We hit a mine and it blew the bows off the boat. Nineteen of the 31 crew on board were killed.

“The oldest man on the ship was 29. I can see him now, standing there saying, ‘Don’t panic lads, we’ll all get out’. I never saw him again.

“The saddest thing about it was that his wife had given birth to a little girl three weeks beforehand in England. He never ever saw her.

“I look back and I think about the 19 good shipmates of mine who now lie at the bottom of the Adriatic sea. They went down with the boat when it hit the mine.

“There’s still lots of people who think there’s fun in war. There’s no fun in war. No fun in war at all.”

After the war George worked for the General Post Office and then BT, before retiring in the 1980s, giving him more time to enjoy his true passion of golf. He was an honorary life member at Haywards Heath Golf Club.

A spokesman for Blind Veterans UK, which supported Mr Chandler, said a private family funeral had been planned.

He said the family was “very proud of George and that they will miss him dearly” and added that Mr Chandler had always wanted to be “thrown overboard at sea instead of having a funeral”.

The spokesman said: “Our heartfelt condolences go out to George’s son Paul and all his family and friends.

“George was the guest of honour at our special D-Day anniversary dinner in June this year, 80 years after the invasion of Normandy.

“He shared with us his poignant memories from the historic day and everyone in the room was gripped by his stories.

“George was a larger-than-life figure that brought so much joy to all of those who met him.

“We are proud to have been able to support him as he adapted to life with sight loss.”