Second World War veteran who volunteered for bomb disposal duties dies aged 100
Boyd Salmon, a former Royal Navy bomb disposal officer, has died at the age of 100.
He was one of the last surviving members of the wartime teams tasked with clearing explosive ordnance across Europe during and after the Second World War.
Mr Salmon joined the Navy at 17, initially serving as a rating on Atlantic convoys and in the Mediterranean.
In 1944, he was commissioned as an officer on Trafalgar Day, 21 October.
Shortly afterwards, he volunteered for the Royal Navy's Enemy Mining Section, which was responsible for clearing unexploded mines and booby traps from ports and harbours abandoned by German forces.
Sub Lieutenant Boyd Salmon volunteered for RMS duties without knowing that the acronym stood for Render Mines Safe and the danger that lay ahead.
His assignments included work on Sword Beach in Normandy and the Dutch island of Walcheren.
During these operations, he faced significant risks, with his bomb disposal career coming to an end when a device exploded 20 metres away, with the blast embedding chunks of shrapnel in his stomach and the injuries requiring years of recovery.
While he was recovering, Mr Salmon met his future wife, Jacqueline, a physiotherapist. They were married for 64 years.
After leaving the Navy, he became a chartered engineer and settled in Lymington, where he pursued hobbies such as painting and golf.
Even in later life, Mr Salmon remained engaged in community and military activities.
For his 100th birthday, he took a helicopter flight over the Solent.
He also visited the Royal Navy's modern bomb disposal and diving unit at Horsea Island, where he was presented with replacements for his missing wartime medals.
Additionally, he participated in the launch of Lymington's annual poppy appeal.
Mr Salmon died shortly before Christmas. His life was commemorated by fellow residents of the care home where he spent his final years.
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