A Royal salute to D Day hero Harry Billinge’s fundraising for Normandy veterans

From: Elisabeth Baker, Leeds.
The Queen presented D-Day veteran Harry Billinge with a MBE for charity fundraising.The Queen presented D-Day veteran Harry Billinge with a MBE for charity fundraising.
The Queen presented D-Day veteran Harry Billinge with a MBE for charity fundraising.
Read More
Watch the emotional moment D-Day veteran Harry Billinge sees the war memorial he...

I WAS delighted to see the photograph (The Yorkshire 
Post, March 4) of 94-year-old Harry Billinge receiving the 
MBE from Her Majesty the Queen.

He was correctly described 
as one of the first to land on 
Gold Beach on D-Day, but 
what the report failed to say 
was that his MBE was “For services to charitable fundraising”. Harry has 
single-handedly raised £30,000 towards the cost of the British Normandy Memorial currently being erected in France.

D-Day veteran Harry Billinge after receiving his MBE from the Queen.D-Day veteran Harry Billinge after receiving his MBE from the Queen.
D-Day veteran Harry Billinge after receiving his MBE from the Queen.
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He is quoted in the news item as saying “some men were baptised in their own blood. 
And what for? Not much”. Our ability to live in freedom is exactly “what for” and we should salute all those who gave their lives – and those who fought and survived.

If any readers would like to contribute to the Memorial, The Normandy Memorial Trust would be delighted to hear from them.

From: Andrew Mercer, Guiseley.

DIDN’T the Queen look proud when she presented D-Day veteran Harry Billinge with his MBE? He clearly made her day. More importantly, this is what the honours system is for, genuine heroes rather than all the jobsworths. I hope others agree.

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.