
Second World War veteran believed to be Britain's oldest man dies aged 110
The D-Day veteran, who was born on Christmas Eve 1914, is believed to have been Britain's oldest man.
Erewash Borough Council in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, confirmed Mr Rose's death on Friday, and council leader James Dawson paid tribute to him as a 'war hero' Desert Rat.
Mr Dawson said: 'Our condolences go out to Donald's family and all who knew him.
'Erewash was privileged to count him as a resident.'
In May, Mr Rose joined 45 other veterans as guests of honour at a tea party celebration hosted by the Royal British Legion at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, to mark 80 years since VE Day.
Mr Rose, who was attached to the division which liberated Belsen concentration camp, said at the event that he did not celebrate the momentous day 80 years ago.
He said: '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.
'We just did what we thought was right and it was a relief when it was over.
'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.'
In the same month, Erewash mayor presented Mr Rose with the freedom of the borough for his bravery in the Second World War.
According to the council, Mr Rose said he was proud and happy to receive it, but said: 'I didn't do anything that anyone else would not have done.'
The council flew its flags at half mast to mark Mr Rose's death.
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BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
WW2 veteran Donald Rose 'leaves such a legacy behind'
"We need more Donalds around to make the world a better place."The death of Donald Rose, the UK's oldest surviving World War Two veteran, was announced by Erewash Borough Council on bravery during the conflict, which included surviving being shot in the leg during the D-Day landings, led to multiple honours decades Vue Care Home in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, had been the setting for the final years of the 110-year-old's life - and he made quite the impression on the staff co-ordinator Naomi Allsop described Mr Rose as an "amazing" man and a "walking history book". She told the BBC she got to know him when he first moved into the care home in 2020, aged 105, and the pair created a bucket list of activities he wanted to do in his remaining years. Ms Allsop said he managed to complete the bucket list, which included a vintage motorbike show at the care home, getting into a fire engine, and taking part in a flight simulator, while describing each activity as "the best thing ever"."We just used to be like friends, you know, like two buddies. We used to go shopping, go for walks, just sit down and chat," she said."That's all he wanted, just someone to sit down and talk with him. And he used to love singing. So, of course, I love singing as well so we used to sing together and just be happy really."I wouldn't call him a resident, he was more of a friend to me." Mr Rose, originally from Westcott, Surrey, joined the Queen's Royal Regiment at the age of 25 and went on to train as a served in North Africa and Europe, and put his longevity down to salty water he had to drink during his time as a Desert survived a bullet to the leg during the D-Day Landings and was part of the division that liberated the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in northern Rose was eventually a recipient of France's highest award - the French Legion of Allsop said: "Never in my life or in anyone else's life would you have thought you could speak to a war hero and just knowing that he was just an ordinary guy and he always said 'I was no different to anyone else, I did what I had to do'."Just so humble, he will leave such a huge legacy behind."Earlier this year, as the country marked the 80th anniversary of VE Day, Mr Rose was part of a special episode of The One Show to mark the occasion, and filmed with comedian and war history enthusiast Al Murray. In May, Mr Rose was awarded the Freedom of Erewash at a ceremony at his care he was presented with the Freedom of Erewash, he said it was "great" and thanked all who had come to see him."I didn't do anything that anybody else wouldn't have done," he said at the time. Erewash Borough Council leader James Dawson paid tribute to Mr Rose and said Erewash was "privileged to count him as a resident". His son David Rose previously described his father as "amazing"."He always worked so hard. After the war, he drove a dust cart, then worked for the gas board and he would do any work to put food on the family table," he said."Bearing in mind what he's been through, it's quite something, and he's still here to tell the tale."You start telling [his] story and you get a lump in your throat. All I can say is I'm extremely proud of the man."A spokesperson for the Royal British Legion said: "Donald's life and legacy will forever serve as a poignant reminder of the invaluable sacrifices made by those who served during the Second World War."We extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends."


Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
The sexual harassment epidemic tainting British business
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An increasing number of women working at companies from City institutions to household names are coming forward with stories of harassment in the workplace. Despite believing that we live in more enlightened times compared to the 1970s or 80s – when women were effectively treated as second-class citizens in the workplace – sexual harassment remains an epidemic tainting British business. Male-dominated hierarchies Amy almost counts herself lucky – other women she has spoken to have felt so unsafe at work that they have eventually quit. Poppy*, who is in her 20s and works in the construction industry, recalls being repeatedly targeted and harassed by two senior men she used to work with. They would tell her that women belonged in the kitchen and would send inappropriate messages. 'I ended up separating from my fiancé because of the stress. It affected every part of my life,' she says. 'My hair is curly and one of the bosses didn't like curly hair, so he paid me to go and straighten it because he said I looked a mess.' Poppy, who was also told early on in her career that having a child would ruin her future job prospects, believes that sexism is ingrained across corporate Britain. While most cases go unreported, there have been several high-profile cases in recent months and no sector is immune – almost half the fashion retail employees surveyed by Drapers think sexual harassment is 'common'. More women are also coming forward to recount tales of harassment at well-known British employers. The BBC is now facing questions over its knowledge of Gregg Wallace's behaviour after 50 more people came forward with allegations against him, months after hundreds of allegations of sexual misconduct emerged against ex-Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed. Wallace has denied the sexual harassment allegations. Al Fayed died in 2023. A government survey in 2020 found that 29pc of employees experienced some form of sexual harassment in their workplace in the previous year – but the real figures are thought to be far higher. 'Most UK businesses are still structured around male-dominated hierarchies,' says Poppy. 'Despite more inclusive policies, culture often reflects outdated gender norms – there is still an old boys' club power structure.' These are not stories from generations gone by. Despite widespread efforts to crack down on sexual harassment at work and hire more senior women into top jobs, UK plc continues to have a problem. 'I don't think it's improved in the last decade – maybe more women have the confidence to report it, but the sexist comments from men aren't slowing down,' adds Amy. Rise of the 'bad apples' Internal training documents show that senior City staff are being taught the very basics when it comes to behaviour. 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Alarmingly, over a quarter of the women polled said they have been shown porn at work by their co-workers. Some think sexism has become worse in recent years. One HR chief, who did not want to be named, thinks there has been a 're-emergence of unpalatable characters', particularly since the rollback of diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) programmes under Donald Trump, who ordered a ban on the policies. The effects are being felt in the UK, with some leaders even overheard boasting about how they can say whatever they want now, the person adds. Businesses, regulators and the government are now scrambling to do more to stamp out toxic behaviour amid rising concerns for women in the workplace. The Financial Conduct Authority, the City watchdog, has expanded rules around harassment and bullying in order to stop 'rolling bad apples' who abuse colleagues in one job from job-hopping undetected. Last year Parliament's influential Treasury select committee raised concerns that women in finance were afraid to speak out about abuses in the workplace because of perceptions that the City is a 'man's world,' with MPs accusing HR departments of protecting sexist bosses. The Government also wants to ban bosses from covering up sex scandals by outlawing the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in the workplace to silence victims. In 2018, The Telegraph was prevented from revealing allegations against Sir Philip Green, the former Topshop owner, after five ex-employees signed an NDA. The change will be provisionally written into Labour's incoming Employment Rights Bill, which will return to the House of Lords this week. Yet despite the raft of changes, recruitment bosses and victims aren't so sure that behaviour will change any time soon. Most stories of harassment at work are never discussed, so abuse goes unnoticed under the surface. 'Cultural change is a slow process. 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The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Country diary: For these birds, home is where the food is
If you came to this Derbyshire spot in winter, with all its down-at-heel problems of congested traffic, air pollution, dense housing and largely garden-free conditions, the bottom of Fairfield Road would be about the last place in Buxton you'd imagine to find breeding house martins. Yet it is about the only place in town with a good-sized colony of these exquisite if declining summer migrants, so unpicking why they have persisted here and gone almost everywhere else locally is instructive. One element may be the height of the terrace housing. The buildings are on three floors and the overhanging eaves, where martins locate their mud-cup nests, are beyond the reach of 'tidy-minded' souls worried about droppings below. A more certain factor is that the back of Fairfield is only a house martin's swoop away from what was once the town tip called Hogshaw. Yet in the last half-century it has been redeemed by nature and smothered in sallow and birch woodland. Those two are among our most insect-friendly tree species, and the resulting abundance of invertebrates which not only accounts for the birds' presence here, but determines almost everything about house martins. They may weigh just 19g and, when perched on the nest lip, remind you of tiny pied mice, but they are global wanderers, travelling from sub-Saharan latitudes to profit from the northern hemisphere's peak insect abundance in April-September. Come autumn, they return south to some largely unknown portion of Africa. Those journeys really put into context those projects for helping martins, or swifts, which address only their nesting places or which work by erecting artificial nests. In a sense, you can't give martins a home, as some conservation groups advertise in their strapline: because their home is the whole world. If you're going to help house martins, then think mainly about the insects of which the birds are made. That's why Hogshaw, the old tip, needs to become Buxton's newest nature reserve, a place outside human design, a zone set aside for its semi-wild character and for its wildlife, which local people can cherish. Achieving that goal would give Buxton's house martins real hope of a genuine home. Under the Changing Skies: The Best of the Guardian's Country Diary, 2018-2024 is published by Guardian Faber; order at and get a 15% discount