D-Day veteran celebrates 100th birthday (From News Shopper)

D-Day veteran William Taylor celebrates 100th birthday

9:18am Tuesday 17th April 2012 in Bexley By Jim Palmer

A BEXLEY veteran of the D-Day landings has celebrated his 100th birthday.

William Taylor welcomed the Mayor of Bexley, Councillor Ray Sams, and 54 friends and relatives to his niece Sylvia Hannam’s house in Slade Green.

Often known by his middle name, Lionel, he said: "It was a mad house. There were some people I hadn’t seen in years.

"I had a niece come from Cyprus and another from America and others who don’t live nearby that I hadn’t seen in a good few months.

"It was a nice change to see a lot of people."

Born and raised in Sidcup, he was twice widowed and worked as an engineer at Standard Telephones in Footscray for 43 years until it closed in 1974.

He was drafted into the Royal Engineers on his 32nd birthday and was a sergeant at the D-Day landings on Sword beach as back-up to 3rd Canadian division.