WWII veterans Jeff Haward, Ray Whitwell and Eric Taylor were in France in late May and early June 1940 with the British Expeditionary Force when more than 300,000 allied soldiers were evacuated from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk in an operation codenamed Dynamo.
Jeff Haward
Jeff Haward, 100, who lives near Rochester in Kent, fought from Dunkirk in 1940 to D-Day in 1944 with the 1/7th Middlesex Regiment and was awarded the Military Medal for bravery in battle. Following evacuation from Dunkirk, the 1/7th, carried out coastal defence duties in preparation for the German invasion.
Ray Whitwell
Ray Whitwell, 101, who lives in Malton in North Yorkshire, served with the Royal Army Service Corps. He was evacuated at Dunkirk and four years later flew into the Netherlands as part of Operation Market Garden in September 1944.
Eric Taylor
Eric Taylor, who celebrates his 100th birthday in June, lives in Cornwall. Eric was in the 7th Batt Royal Norfolk Regiment, who were part of the 51st Highland Division. Unable to make their way to Dunkirk in time to be evacuated, they remained in France and made for Le Havre. They were cut off by the Germans and the division surrendered at St Valery-en-Caux on 12 June.
Dick Goodwin, Taxi Charity vice president, said: "Centenarians Jeff, Ray and Eric are fabulous examples of the bravery shown by our armed forces during the Second World War. Usually they would be joining the Taxi Charity on trips to the continent to pay their respects to their comrades that didn’t come home, but sadly this year all our planned visits for the veterans are cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions."