D-Day Revisited

On Thursday 23rd April we'll be paying respects to our friend John Dennett.

For those who would like to attend, Ashville Football Club have invited friends and family of John's to pay their respects to John from 12 noon at the football Club before attending the funeral at Landican at 3pm.

There will be a celebration of John's life at the Football Club after the funeral.

Addresses as follows:
Ashville FC
The Ray Parker Stadium
Cross Lane
Wallasey
CH45 8RH

Landican Crematorium
Arrowe Park Road
Woodchurch
CH49 5LW

At 101 years of age John died rich in friendship and was universally respected by those who were lucky enough to know him. There is no doubt this will be reflected in numbers on the day, which in itself will be a moving tribute to his life.

It is with the deepest sadness that we share the news of the passing of our dear friend, Royal Navy veteran John Dennett, who passed away earlier today at the remarkable age of 101.

John was one of the last surviving veterans of the Second World War. He led a full and rich life guided by friendship, community and service and his loss will be felt by all who knew him.

John joined the Royal Navy at just 17, adding six months to his age to get past the recruiting office (his mum had refused to hand over his birth certificate!).

From those early days of training, he went on to serve as an Able Seaman aboard LST 322. He took part in some of the most significant Allied operations of the Second World War - Operation Torch in North Africa, the relief of Malta, the Sicily landings, Salerno, Anzio - before the defining moment: crossing the Channel on the night of 5th June 1944 and landing men and equipment at Sword Beach on D-Day itself. He and his crew made over fifteen crossings in the weeks that followed.

But John was far more than his service record. He was warm, funny and endlessly generous with his time and his stories.

From 2009 to 2019, he travelled with us to Normandy every single June to commemorate the anniversary of the landings -visiting schools, meeting the French people whose lives had been so shaped by those events and helping tell the story of D-Day to the younger generation. He always made a point of paying his respects at the Landing Craft Association memorial at Ouistreham.

In 2019, we were honoured to take John and his nephew Tony back to America where they retraced his wartime footsteps, crossing the Atlantic onboard the Queen Mary 2 just as John had on RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 77 years before.

They visited Asbury Park NJ where John had been billeted, the Philadelphia Shipyard where LST 322 was built and the Big Apple itself where he remembered going to Radio City Music Hall! It was an unforgettable adventure, made all the richer by his wonderful company.

After the war John and his wife Joyce established Ashville Football Club in Wallasey, which is still going strong today as the beating heart of a community. John was also President of the Italy Star Association and President of the City of Liverpool Branch Of the Royal British Legion.

John always said he wouldn't have missed any of it for the world. We feel exactly the same about knowing him.

Rest in peace, John. It was the greatest honour.

We can't quite believe it's 7 years since we invited our veteran friends for a rather special festive meal on board The Royal Yacht BRITANNIA!

The Normandy veterans were indeed treated like royalty and a merry time was had by all. We're so pleased to have been able to make such precious memories with so many marvellous men and women from the extraordinary wartime generation.

This was a Christmas memory we'll always treasure...

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10157511654519373&type=3

Last year we were pleased to be able to invite 22 of our Normandy veteran friends to a wonderful festive reunion dinner on board The Royal Yacht Britannia!

Huge thanks go to Rtd. Rear Admiral Neil Rankin CB CBE and all of the Britannia Team for making everyone feel so welcome. From the moment the veterans stepped aboard with their loved ones they were indeed treated like royalty. Everyone enjoyed the most delicious food & drink before gathering round the piano with a glass of something warming for a Christmas sing song. We all left with very happy memories!