From Buckingham butchers to the Normandy beaches: D-Day veteran dies at 105
D-Day veteran Don Howkins has died at the age of 105.
He landed on Gold Beach on 6 June 1944 but had very little memory of it, saying in his memoir: "I'm probably no different than any other soldier and can only remember climbing down the rope nets into our landing craft.
"I have no recollection of being on Gold Beach until we were a short way inland and off the beach by a few hundred yards or so."
He did, however, remember camping in an orchard close to Arromanches and "partaking of a little calvados", an apple brandy from Normandy.
Mr Howkins defended London while serving in the Royal Artillery, as part of the 90th (Middlesex) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, before going over to Normandy in June 1944.
After hearing of his death, Dick Goodwin, Vice President of the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans, said: "Don Howkins was a truly wonderful gentleman and we had the enormous pleasure and privilege of getting to know him.
"Sadly, we met Don too late for him to be able to join us on one of our veterans' trips, but we were very pleased that we could help him in another way.
"The Taxi Charity was able to find information about some of the friends who had served alongside him in Normandy and, importantly for Don, visit their graves and take photographs for him."
At just 17, Don was an apprentice butcher in the market town of Buckingham when war broke out.
He told The Taxi Charity: "We were all young lads.
"We joined the Territorials for something to do – we never realised what was going to happen."
A month after getting married in February 1944, Mr Howkins started his D-Day training with no idea why they were all being trained to hit moving land targets.
In May 1944, they learned how to waterproof their guns and equipment and were instructed to stay close to camp.
Mr Howkins spoke of D-Day in his memoir: "We left from London Docks and on June 6, we were briefed as to our landing at 9:10am and we joined the convoys to board.
"Now we knew where we were going."
Of his time fighting to liberate France, Mr Howkins said he "witnessed ... death in such a way I have never discussed it".
He paid tribute to the "good men" who died during the bitter fighting from France through to Belgium, Holland and into Germany.
One memory stands out, a momentary "crossroad sign mishap", that was to result in him losing his lance corporal stripe.
He said: "I was ordered to direct some traffic, mainly tanks.
"As all soldiers out there know, tanks create lots of dust and I lost my bearings and in turn so did a few tanks.
"Lucky for me, the troop commander realised they were heading in the wrong direction, so he turned his troop around and came to find me."
Join Our Newsletter
