One of last surviving D-Day veterans Albert Price dies aged 98 – days before 80th anniversary of beach landings
ONE of the last surviving D-Day veterans has died aged 98, days before the 80th anniversary of the World War Two beach landings.
Brave Albert Price was 18 when he stormed Gold Beach in Normandy, France, in a tank known as a Hobart Funny.
The dad-of-one recalled how his comrades all felt “very proud” but didn’t realise they were part of history.
His daughter Karen, 60, said it was “heartbreaking” he died before the June 6 anniversary as veterans are due to hold acts of remembrance led by King Charles and Prince William.
She said: “It’s heartbreaking that he missed this.
“He was looking forward to getting back to his comrades.
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“There’s so few D-Day veterans left and he would have loved a chance to see them again - if only for one final time.”
Speaking to The Sun in 2019, Albert recalled being wounded when his DD Valentine tank was hit by a German Panzer.
He said: “I heard a loud blast and someone shouting, ‘We’ve been hit’. It was like a sheet of red came across my entire face.”
He leapt out of the turret with blood streaming down his face.
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He added: “There was machine gun fire all around us. I was shot in my left foot and a ricochet hit my right shoulder. A fire was raging so I backed away as best I could. I was still trying to move when a black figure walked past me.
"I barely recognised him as our driver because he was burned so badly.”
He also described being haunted by the sight of horses slain by tank fire as the Hitler’s army was forced to retreat.
He said: “There were lots of German infantry marching away.
“I remember how archaic their columns looked – there were no tanks or armoured vehicles.
“There were horses pulling things and what looked like furniture vans. We fired upon them and while I didn’t care about the German loss of life, the horses being killed really stuck with me.”
Albert, from Solihull, West Mids, is survived by his wife Betty, 82.
The veterans charity Blesma said there are “only a handful of British D-Day veterans still alive”.