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Royal Navy D-Day and Arctic Convoy Veteran Dougie Shelley Dies at 100

The public tributes and planned French honor signal renewed focus on recognizing the few World War II sailors still remembered by their communities.

Overview

  • His death was announced by the Royal Naval Association, which offered a formal naval farewell and praised his service.
  • During the Normandy landings he served as a seaman gunner on the destroyer HMS Milne, guarding the beaches for troops going ashore.
  • He also sailed on the Arctic Convoys, the hazardous World War II supply routes that kept the Soviet Union armed and fed.
  • For his 100th birthday he received more than 16,000 cards, including messages from the King and Downing Street, and celebrated at his Southend Royal Naval Association branch.
  • He was told on his centenary that he would receive France’s Legion d’Honneur, the country’s highest award often given to Allied veterans who helped liberate France.