D-Day veteran uses 100th birthday to back charity

A D-Day veteran has decided to use his 100th birthday celebrations to raise money for the National Memorial Arboretum.

Bill Redston, who passed the milestone age on Thursday, has lived in Wolverhampton for more than 60 years after his service during World War Two.

He said he was also one of the first volunteers to work at arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire, when it opened in 2001 and wanted to raise at least £1,000 for the centre of Remembrance.

Mr Redston's family said the place was always close to his heart and he visited it regularly with them as well as friends.

Staff at the arboretum praised his "steadfast support" over the years but said his decision to raise money for them through his birthday was a shock.

"His incredibly generous announcement that he wanted to raise funds for us as part of his 100th birthday celebrations still caught us by surprise," Maria Howes, from the centre, said.

Bill Redston's ship was meant to lead American troops to Utah Beach on D-Day before their duties changed

The 100-year-old veteran was a First Lieutenant of Motor Launch 191 during the war as part of Naval Coastal Forces.

He joined the Royal Navy when he was 18 and was due to guide US soldiers on to Utah Beach during the D-Day landings.

But the Americans wanted their own ship to lead them in and Mr Redston's crew was instead tasked with bringing barges over the Channel.

They later found out the replacement ship had been sunk with its crew suffering many casualties.

Mr Redston later received the Legion d'honneur for his services on D-Day at the National Memorial Arboretum in 2021 which he said was "one of the proudest moments of his life".

Reaching his 100th birthday, he said his secret to long life was "regular exercise".

"I ran the London and New York marathons in my mid-sixties and have tried to stay fit ever since," he added.

"I was a member of a local cycling club well into my eighties and I still get on my exercise bike or go for a one-mile walk at least four times a week.”