Latest news with #TaxiCharityforMilitaryVeterans
Glasgow Times
13-07-2025
- Glasgow Times
Visit to Scotland ‘means the world' to 100-year-old veterans, says charity
Donald Turrell, 100; Dorothea Barron, 100; and Eugeniusz Niedzielski, 101, are set to travel to Scotland in August in a trip organised by the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans (TCMV). As well as visiting a number of sites linked with their service, the 'remarkable' trio will attend the Edinburgh Tattoo on August 12. Colin Mills, chairman of TCMV, said: 'We are incredibly proud to be taking three remarkable WW2 veterans to Scotland this August, and we are so grateful to everyone whose generous donations have made this trip possible. 'Don Turrell, Dorothea Barron, and Eugeniusz Niedzielski, each with extraordinary stories of service and resilience, will be visiting places that hold deep personal significance. 'Trips like this are only possible thanks to the generosity of our supporters, and it means the world to these veterans to be honoured in this way.' London-born Don Turrell enlisted in the army when he was just 17, having lied about his age, and joined the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles). He intends to visit Dunfermline, where his mother was born, and also to return to Fort William in the Highlands where he spent time training before being sent to France in the weeks following D-Day. Donald Turrell spent time training in the Highlands before going to France in the weeks following D-Day (Turrell family/PA) 'It was hard, very hard,' the 100-year-old recalled of his time training in Scotland. 'It made me fit. There are some photographs floating about with me with all my muscles showing,' he said with a chuckle. He added: 'We used to hang over cliffs on ropes. Just tapped in a six-inch nail on the ground, rope round it, down the side a cliff and swing about, (and) climb up. 'I enjoyed every minute of it.' Other destinations include a visit to the Low Parks Museum in Hamilton, which houses the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) collection. Dorothea Barron said going on trips organised by the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans had given her a 'second lifetime' (Robin Savage/PA) The visit is set to take place on August 8, when a parade with the standard will be held. Dorothea Barron enlisted in the Wrens when she was 18, having been a schoolgirl in London during the Blitz. Working as a visual signaller, she spent much of her time at naval sites in Scotland, initially at Port Edgar on the Firth of Forth and then Rosyth in Fife, Aberdeen, and Campbeltown on the Kintyre peninsula. The 100-year-old said she was especially looking forward to revisiting her old posting at Port Edgar. 'They're going back to Hopetoun, which was the rallying point for all the naval people,' she said. 'And from there we were sent off to various parts of Scotland. So, I'd love to see if my little tin hut of a signal station has survived the Scottish weather. 'I doubt it very much, but it's going to be such fun looking for it.' During her visit to Port Edgar on August 7, she will perform the sod-cutting ceremony at the old Port Edgar Barracks, which is set to be converted into a new housing scheme. Born in what was then Poland, Eugeniusz Niedzielski was deported to Soviet work camps during the invasion of Poland in September 1939. Released when Stalin joined the Allies in 1942, Mr Niedzielski joined the new Polish army, which was placed under British command, and took part in the Allied offensive in 1944 – including taking part in the liberation of the Dutch city of Breda. He served in the Polish 1st Armoured Division, which was formed in Duns, in the Scottish Borders, by General Stanislaw Maczek in 1942, and intends to visit the town as part of the trip. The 101-year-old will also visit the Polish consulate in Edinburgh on August 10, as well as travelling to Alnwick in Northumberland, Kelso and Faslane. Mr Turrell and Ms Barron both expressed their gratitude to the TCMV for arranging trips for veterans like themselves. 'This is what keeps me alive,' Mr Turrell said. 'Now I know I'm going on another (trip), I'll got to keep myself going. 'Otherwise, I just sit in a chair, fall asleep, wake up, look at a telly, fall asleep again.' Ms Barron said: 'The lovely London taxi drivers charity were the ones who found me out and gave me all these wonderful opportunities to meet other people who'd been in the war. 'Because, once my husband died and our local doctor died, nobody else, I think locally, had been in the war. 'So it was lovely. It was intriguing, and it's giving me a second lifetime.'
South Wales Argus
13-07-2025
- South Wales Argus
Visit to Scotland ‘means the world' to 100-year-old veterans, says charity
Donald Turrell, 100; Dorothea Barron, 100; and Eugeniusz Niedzielski, 101, are set to travel to Scotland in August in a trip organised by the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans (TCMV). As well as visiting a number of sites linked with their service, the 'remarkable' trio will attend the Edinburgh Tattoo on August 12. Colin Mills, chairman of TCMV, said: 'We are incredibly proud to be taking three remarkable WW2 veterans to Scotland this August, and we are so grateful to everyone whose generous donations have made this trip possible. 'Don Turrell, Dorothea Barron, and Eugeniusz Niedzielski, each with extraordinary stories of service and resilience, will be visiting places that hold deep personal significance. 'Trips like this are only possible thanks to the generosity of our supporters, and it means the world to these veterans to be honoured in this way.' London-born Don Turrell enlisted in the army when he was just 17, having lied about his age, and joined the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles). He intends to visit Dunfermline, where his mother was born, and also to return to Fort William in the Highlands where he spent time training before being sent to France in the weeks following D-Day. Donald Turrell spent time training in the Highlands before going to France in the weeks following D-Day (Turrell family/PA) 'It was hard, very hard,' the 100-year-old recalled of his time training in Scotland. 'It made me fit. There are some photographs floating about with me with all my muscles showing,' he said with a chuckle. He added: 'We used to hang over cliffs on ropes. Just tapped in a six-inch nail on the ground, rope round it, down the side a cliff and swing about, (and) climb up. 'I enjoyed every minute of it.' Other destinations include a visit to the Low Parks Museum in Hamilton, which houses the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) collection. Dorothea Barron said going on trips organised by the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans had given her a 'second lifetime' (Robin Savage/PA) The visit is set to take place on August 8, when a parade with the standard will be held. Dorothea Barron enlisted in the Wrens when she was 18, having been a schoolgirl in London during the Blitz. Working as a visual signaller, she spent much of her time at naval sites in Scotland, initially at Port Edgar on the Firth of Forth and then Rosyth in Fife, Aberdeen, and Campbeltown on the Kintyre peninsula. The 100-year-old said she was especially looking forward to revisiting her old posting at Port Edgar. 'They're going back to Hopetoun, which was the rallying point for all the naval people,' she said. 'And from there we were sent off to various parts of Scotland. So, I'd love to see if my little tin hut of a signal station has survived the Scottish weather. 'I doubt it very much, but it's going to be such fun looking for it.' During her visit to Port Edgar on August 7, she will perform the sod-cutting ceremony at the old Port Edgar Barracks, which is set to be converted into a new housing scheme. Born in what was then Poland, Eugeniusz Niedzielski was deported to Soviet work camps during the invasion of Poland in September 1939. Released when Stalin joined the Allies in 1942, Mr Niedzielski joined the new Polish army, which was placed under British command, and took part in the Allied offensive in 1944 – including taking part in the liberation of the Dutch city of Breda. He served in the Polish 1st Armoured Division, which was formed in Duns, in the Scottish Borders, by General Stanislaw Maczek in 1942, and intends to visit the town as part of the trip. The 101-year-old will also visit the Polish consulate in Edinburgh on August 10, as well as travelling to Alnwick in Northumberland, Kelso and Faslane. Mr Turrell and Ms Barron both expressed their gratitude to the TCMV for arranging trips for veterans like themselves. 'This is what keeps me alive,' Mr Turrell said. 'Now I know I'm going on another (trip), I'll got to keep myself going. 'Otherwise, I just sit in a chair, fall asleep, wake up, look at a telly, fall asleep again.' Ms Barron said: 'The lovely London taxi drivers charity were the ones who found me out and gave me all these wonderful opportunities to meet other people who'd been in the war. 'Because, once my husband died and our local doctor died, nobody else, I think locally, had been in the war. 'So it was lovely. It was intriguing, and it's giving me a second lifetime.'
Western Telegraph
13-07-2025
- Western Telegraph
Visit to Scotland ‘means the world' to 100-year-old veterans, says charity
Donald Turrell, 100; Dorothea Barron, 100; and Eugeniusz Niedzielski, 101, are set to travel to Scotland in August in a trip organised by the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans (TCMV). As well as visiting a number of sites linked with their service, the 'remarkable' trio will attend the Edinburgh Tattoo on August 12. Colin Mills, chairman of TCMV, said: 'We are incredibly proud to be taking three remarkable WW2 veterans to Scotland this August, and we are so grateful to everyone whose generous donations have made this trip possible. I'd love to see if my little tin hut of a signal station has survived the Scottish weather Dorothea Barron, former Wren 'Don Turrell, Dorothea Barron, and Eugeniusz Niedzielski, each with extraordinary stories of service and resilience, will be visiting places that hold deep personal significance. 'Trips like this are only possible thanks to the generosity of our supporters, and it means the world to these veterans to be honoured in this way.' London-born Don Turrell enlisted in the army when he was just 17, having lied about his age, and joined the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles). He intends to visit Dunfermline, where his mother was born, and also to return to Fort William in the Highlands where he spent time training before being sent to France in the weeks following D-Day. Donald Turrell spent time training in the Highlands before going to France in the weeks following D-Day (Turrell family/PA) 'It was hard, very hard,' the 100-year-old recalled of his time training in Scotland. 'It made me fit. There are some photographs floating about with me with all my muscles showing,' he said with a chuckle. He added: 'We used to hang over cliffs on ropes. Just tapped in a six-inch nail on the ground, rope round it, down the side a cliff and swing about, (and) climb up. 'I enjoyed every minute of it.' Other destinations include a visit to the Low Parks Museum in Hamilton, which houses the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) collection. Dorothea Barron said going on trips organised by the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans had given her a 'second lifetime' (Robin Savage/PA) The visit is set to take place on August 8, when a parade with the standard will be held. Dorothea Barron enlisted in the Wrens when she was 18, having been a schoolgirl in London during the Blitz. Working as a visual signaller, she spent much of her time at naval sites in Scotland, initially at Port Edgar on the Firth of Forth and then Rosyth in Fife, Aberdeen, and Campbeltown on the Kintyre peninsula. The 100-year-old said she was especially looking forward to revisiting her old posting at Port Edgar. 'They're going back to Hopetoun, which was the rallying point for all the naval people,' she said. 'And from there we were sent off to various parts of Scotland. So, I'd love to see if my little tin hut of a signal station has survived the Scottish weather. 'I doubt it very much, but it's going to be such fun looking for it.' During her visit to Port Edgar on August 7, she will perform the sod-cutting ceremony at the old Port Edgar Barracks, which is set to be converted into a new housing scheme. Born in what was then Poland, Eugeniusz Niedzielski was deported to Soviet work camps during the invasion of Poland in September 1939. Released when Stalin joined the Allies in 1942, Mr Niedzielski joined the new Polish army, which was placed under British command, and took part in the Allied offensive in 1944 – including taking part in the liberation of the Dutch city of Breda. He served in the Polish 1st Armoured Division, which was formed in Duns, in the Scottish Borders, by General Stanislaw Maczek in 1942, and intends to visit the town as part of the trip. The 101-year-old will also visit the Polish consulate in Edinburgh on August 10, as well as travelling to Alnwick in Northumberland, Kelso and Faslane. Mr Turrell and Ms Barron both expressed their gratitude to the TCMV for arranging trips for veterans like themselves. 'This is what keeps me alive,' Mr Turrell said. 'Now I know I'm going on another (trip), I'll got to keep myself going. 'Otherwise, I just sit in a chair, fall asleep, wake up, look at a telly, fall asleep again.' Ms Barron said: 'The lovely London taxi drivers charity were the ones who found me out and gave me all these wonderful opportunities to meet other people who'd been in the war. 'Because, once my husband died and our local doctor died, nobody else, I think locally, had been in the war. 'So it was lovely. It was intriguing, and it's giving me a second lifetime.'
Daily Mirror
04-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mirror
WW2 veteran, 99, says 'incredible friendship' with man, 28, 'stopped my nightmares'
A World War II veteran aged 99 has formed an incredible bond with a 28-year-old man whose great grandfather died at the very same battle his new 'best friend' survived A war veteran has told how his 'incredible friendship' with a 28-year-old, whose great grandfather died in the same battle as he survived, has stopped his nightmares. Don Turrell, aged 99, from Essex, was badly injured and repatriated back to the UK during World War II. For decades he didn't open up about his ordeal until he met Callum who encouraged him to talk about it. He'd met Callum Reid, 28, in Normandy during a visit to the 75th anniversary of D-Day. Callum was in the region to visit his great grandad's grave for the first time who was killed during World War II. The two hit it off immediately and they went on to become the very 'best friends'. The veteran told how the friendship has helped him heal from the 'hell on earth' he lived through during World War II. He said Callum encouraged him to talk about things he had buried for decades. 'We never spoke about the war, we'd come home on leave and never spoke about it with our families. But he encouraged me to talk about things and I haven't had a nightmare since,' he said. Don's older brother Leslie Turrell, 21, was killed on HMS Penelope in Anzio off the coast of Italy aged. His ship had been nicknamed the 'pepper pot' because it was hit so many times. The pair have now been pals for six years despite living on opposite sides of the UK but Callum cares for him during trips with the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans. Don added: 'He's my best friend. I'm lost without him, put it that way. I miss him because I live on my own." Callum, who now lives in Scotland, said of their special relationship: 'It's helped, just having a chat. When he told me about the mortar bombing and how scared he was, it makes me understand what my great grandad would have experienced. It has given me a greater appreciation of what they went through and it makes me sad that he has experienced it.' Both Don and Callum's great grandfather Sg James Dargie, 33, were involved in the battle of Hill 112 in Normandy, a strategic position because of the vital view it provided. Don was wounded first on July 10, 1944, but survived during the battle for Eterville. At one stage he was under siege and took shelter and braced himself in a tree trunk, with his comrades trying to make themselves as small as possible. As the bombardment eased, he called out for people around him and only heard back from one man, who then went to get up and collapsed and died. Everyone around him was dead. 'I was in bed in hospital for three years after being wounded,' he said as his foot was nearly blown off and his left side and back were seriously injured. Chartered accountant Callum originally from Leeds explained his great grandad, Sgt James Dargie, died aged 33, six days later, trying to capture the same hill. He was in the 86th anti-tank regiment when he was killed on July 16th 1944 by a direct mortar hit. 'My grandma was nine years old when he died. I think that's why I am so passionate about what happened and the importance to learn," he said. 'I asked Don what it was like up there and he said it was like 'hell on earth' and another veteran told me it was 'the worst night of his life'." Five years ago Callum said how he took Don and 'introduced him to my great grandad" at his grave at St Manvieu cemetery where Don also has three friends buried. Callum said: 'I don't get emotional much but I was then because it was a moment I never thought I'd get to see. 'I'm so unbelievably lucky to have met Don, I do believe it was fate. I first met him in a bar in France and I was starstruck. He's now one of my best friends."
Scotsman
01-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Royal Mint VE Day coin: new commemorative 50p coins released
This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement. The Mint is honouring 80 years of peace with the new coin, featuring a dove design 🕊️ Sign up to the weekly Cost Of Living newsletter. Saving tips, deals and money hacks. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The Royal Mint has launched a new VE Day 50p coin to mark the 80th anniversary of WWII's end The coin features a dove of peace, a design first seen on a 1995 £2 coin It is available in various finishes, including silver and gold, with prices starting at £14.50 On May 8, 2025, a special gold edition will be minted for VE Day's anniversary Veterans Ron Horsey and Richard Pelzer helped strike the first coins at the Royal Mint The Royal Mint is releasing a new range of commemorative coins to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day and the end of the Second World War. A special edition 50p features a dove of peace and the inscription 'In peace goodwill', a tribute to a design that first appeared on a 1995 £2 coin created for the war's 50th anniversary. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The coins have been available to purchase from Thursday, May 1 via the Royal Mint's website, offered in a variety of finishes, including brilliant uncirculated, silver, and gold. On May 8, 2025 - VE Day's 80th anniversary - the Mint will also strike a special edition in gold. (Image: The Royal Mint) | The Royal Mint/PA Wire Prices for the VE Day 50p start at £14.50 for a brilliant uncirculated coin, rising to £1,725 for the gold edition minted on May 8. A 10-coin VE Day 80th anniversary set will also be available, priced at £1,640. To celebrate the launch, the Royal Mint welcomed guests from the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans to its South Wales site. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Among them were 98-year-old Ron Horsey and 101-year-old Richard Pelzer, both from Swansea and veterans of the Royal Engineers, who were given a behind-the-scenes tour and invited to take part in the coin striking process. Horsey said: 'I'm incredibly proud to have been invited to the Royal Mint to strike this coin. VE Day holds such meaning for me and many others, and to be able to strike this design representing peace on to a coin all these years later is truly moving. 'I hope this coin reminds people of the freedom we enjoy today and the cost at which it came.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Vice president of the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans Dick Goodwin described the visit as 'a wonderful experience'. Rebecca Morgan, director of commemorative coin at the Royal Mint, said: 'The VE Day coin pays tribute to the courage, sacrifice and resilience of the generation who secured peace in Europe in May 1945 and it was fitting to welcome Ron and Richard to site to strike one of the first coins.' The Mint is known for commemorating key moments in British history, with recent coin releases including a Red Arrows 50p, a Stories of the Second World War 50p, and a D-Day 80th anniversary 50p.
