Donald Rose, Britain’s oldest Second World War veteran and believed to be the UK’s oldest man, has died at the age of 110, council officials confirmed on Friday.
Rose, who was born on Christmas Eve 1914 in Westcott, Surrey, passed away at the Canal Vue Care Home in Ilkeston, Derbyshire. Erewash Borough Council leader James Dawson paid tribute to the D-Day veteran as a “war hero” and Desert Rat.
“Our condolences go out to Donald’s family and all who knew him,” Dawson said. “Erewash was privileged to count him as a resident.”
Distinguished Military Service
Rose enlisted in the army on 26 July 1940 at the age of 25, joining the Queen’s Royal Regiment (West Surrey) as a sniper. His service took him across multiple theatres of war, including North Africa, Italy and France, where he fought with the legendary 7th Armoured Division, known as the Desert Rats.
The Desert Rats earned their nickname from the jerboa, a small desert rat that became their official badge. The division fought in most major battles of the North African campaign, including both battles of El Alamein, which turned the tide of the war against Rommel’s Afrika Korps.
During the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, Rose was amongst the first soldiers onto the beaches in Normandy, where he was shot in the leg. He was part of an advance party that placed beacon lamps on the beaches, flashing Morse code signals to help landing craft packed with troops find their designated drop-off zones.
Rose’s unit was also amongst the forces that liberated Bergen-Belsen concentration camp on 15 April 1945. British troops of the 11th Armoured Division found approximately 60,000 prisoners in desperate conditions, with 13,000 corpses lying unburied around the camp.
Recent Honours and Reflections
In May 2025, Rose was awarded the Freedom of the Borough of Erewash for his bravery during the Second World War. The honour was presented by Mayor Harry Atkinson at Rose’s care home.
“It’s pretty special, I didn’t think these things would happen to me,” Rose told LBC at the time. “It doesn’t make me any better than anybody else though. I didn’t do anything back then that anybody else wasn’t doing.”
At a Royal British Legion event in May marking the 80th anniversary of VE Day, Rose joined 45 other veterans at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. The celebration included a flypast by a Spitfire and Hurricane fighter.
“When I heard that the armistice had been signed 80 years ago, I was in Germany at Belsen and, like most active soldiers, I didn’t get to celebrate at that time,” Rose reflected at the event. “I never would have believed I would be remembering this day at 110 years old. It’s meaningful to come here today with the Royal British Legion, to remember the people who didn’t come back.
Distinguished Decorations
Rose’s distinguished service earned him numerous medals throughout his military career. Amongst his decorations was France’s highest honour, the Legion d’Honneur, awarded for his role in the liberation of France.
He served across North Africa as part of the Desert Rats’ campaign against Italian and German forces, taking part in the crucial battles that helped secure Allied victory in the region. The division’s motto and fighting spirit became legendary during their service from the Western Desert to Tunisia.
National Recognition
Rose’s remarkable longevity brought him national attention in his final years. He appeared on BBC’s The One Show during VE Day commemorations, where television comic Al Murray attended a party at his care home. On his 110th birthday on Christmas Eve 2024, singer Alfie Boe sang “Happy Birthday” to him via video call, and he received a birthday card from Buckingham Palace.
Rose attributed his longevity to salt water he drank during his time serving in North Africa, though he maintained his characteristic humility about his wartime service throughout his life.
Final Tribute
In honour of Rose’s passing, Erewash Borough Council flew its flags at half-mast on Friday. The council’s citation for his Freedom of the Borough stated: “This Council wishes to place on record its high appreciation and recognises the debt of gratitude of all citizens of the Borough to Donald Rose and his generation.”
Rose is survived by his son David, born in January 1949. His wife Jeannette “Janet” Rudin, whom he married in Surrey in October 1946, predeceased him in February 2001 after 54 years of marriage.
The passing of Donald Rose marks the end of an era, as the number of Second World War veterans continues to dwindle. His life spanned from the outbreak of the First World War through to the modern day, bearing witness to over a century of British history.
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