D-Day veteran described as a 'true hero' dies at 99

Desmond Burrows spoke about his World War Two experiences in June

The family of a D-Day veteran who has died at the age of 99 has described him as a "legend" and "a true hero of his time".

Desmond Burrows, from Nottingham, volunteered for the Royal Navy at the age of 17 in 1942 after being blown off a chair at his home in Beeston by a bomb - telling his mum it would be safer to go to war.

He was not on the beaches on 6 June 1944 but spent the months before taking part in practice runs with the Canadian commandos in Scotland.

He described the experience in an interview earlier this year, telling the BBC: "From May 1943 to actual D-Day, every six weeks we had a mock rehearsal of the invasion with real ammunition, shrapnel everywhere going ping ping ping."

Desmond Burrows volunteered to join the Navy at 17

Desmond's son Mick said his father was always humble despite playing such a large part in the greatest seaborne invasion in history.

"Very few people knew about the experiences he'd had," he said.

In June, Desmond was asked to perform a reading at a special service at Southwell Minster to commemorate the sacrifice made by D-Day veterans - something which his family said "made him extremely proud".

Desmond Burrows with son Mick at Southwell Minster in June

The family said Desmond died peacefully on Friday and his funeral would be a celebration of his "remarkable" life.

"Dad was a living legend, a true hero of his time," Mick said.

"We will all miss him tremendously but will always remember him with a sparkle in his eye as he shared his stories, always with a little laugh and a smile."

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