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WorldQuiet 3d · day 4

D-Day veteran Kenneth Hay dies aged 101

The Normandy veteran, captured weeks after the invasion and survived a 1,000-mile death march, is remembered as an inspiring educator.

newest coverage 3d agosummary written 3d ago5 pieces144 likes & upvotes6 comments XNewswiresMastodon

What to know

  • Kenneth Hay, who landed in Normandy days after D-Day and was captured by German forces in July 1944, died aged 101 on 20 September 2026.
  • He survived a roughly 1,000-mile forced march through eastern Europe as a POW before being liberated by American troops in 1945.
  • After the war he was awarded an MBE and France's Legion d'Honneur, and spent years visiting schools to teach children about WWII, earning the nickname 'Grandad Ken'.
  • The British Normandy Memorial, where he served as an ambassador, announced his death and led tributes.

“Ken Hay MBE Leg d'Hon. An extraordinary gentleman whose remarkable life will never be forgotten.”

British Normandy Memorial, Memorial trust statement · Evening Standard ↗ · Sep 20

Kenneth Hay D-Day veteran and Normandy Memorial ambassadorBritish Normandy Memorial Charity/memorial trustChris and Jeremy Hay Sons of Kenneth Hay

D-Day veteran Kenneth Hay dies aged 101
bbc.co.uk

How it unfolded 3 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts

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Sep 21Sep 22yesterdaynow · 4:03 PM ET
  1. 3

    BBC and Evening Standard publish tributes to Hay's education work

    Outlets highlighted Hay's decades of visiting British schools to share his wartime story, noting he was nicknamed 'Grandad Ken' by schoolchildren and that the Memorial extended condolences to his sons Chris and Jeremy.

    “lay down to die…”
    — Kenneth Hay, D-Day veteran · source
  2. 2

    Obituaries recount Hay's capture and 1,000-mile death march

    Coverage detailed how Hay, of the 4th Dorset Infantry Regiment, was captured by the German 12th SS Panzer Division during a night patrol in July 1944, held as a POW in a coal mine in Zabrze, Poland, and survived a three-month, roughly 1,000-mile forced march before being liberated by American troops.

    “We had 30 [that] went out on our patrol, 16 including my brother, who was a corporal, got back, five of us got captured and then presumably nine got killed.”
    — Kenneth Hay
  3. 1

    British Normandy Memorial announces Ken Hay's death at 101

    The organisation, for which Hay served as an ambassador, announced on social media that the Normandy veteran had died on Sunday 20 September, calling him an "extraordinary gentleman whose remarkable life will never be forgotten."

    “We are deeply saddened to learn that Ken Hay passed away today, Sunday 20th September, aged 101.”
    — British Normandy Memorial
    1. 1 outlet ‘Extraordinary’ Normandy veteran Ken Hay dies aged 101

      first by Evening Standard, 3d ago

    • We are deeply saddened to learn that Ken Hay passed away today, Sunday 20th September, aged 101. Ken was a Normandy Veteran and a long-standing Memorial Ambassador who gave everything to support the Trust's work in sharing the message of Remembrance with the next generation. He

      @britishmemorialX3d ago134▲view on X ↗

Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet

  1. 1 outlet D-Day veteran who survived capture dies aged 101

    first by BBC, 3d ago

    1 more headline