RIP Gordon Prime: D-Day Veteran from Pembrokeshire sadly passes away

A World War motorcycle despatch rider from Pembrokeshire, who was one of Wales’ last surviving D-Day veterans has sadly died at the age of 98.

Gordon Prime was a familiar face to those in Tenby, as he was a ‘poppy collector’ for the Royal British Legion (where he was president of the Tenby branch of the RBL) for many years around the seaside town.

He previously lived in Jameston but more recently resided at Pembroke Haven Residential Home in Pembroke Dock, where he passed away on Monday (January 23), only a couple of weeks before his birthday on February 7.

Gordon was one of 22 veterans chosen to receive France’s highest decoration for heroism, the Legion d’Honneur medal, during an emotional return to Normandy for the 70th anniversary of D-Day in 2014.

Back in 2012, Gordon was also presented with a poppy badge and clasp at the Lord Lieutenant Poppy Appeal Cadet Awards for South West Wales, in recognition of his years as a poppy collector, a role he first started undertaking for charity in 1948!

“I’ve been deputy standard bearer, standard bearer, closely involved in the Poppy Appeal and now president - the Royal British Legion has been a big part of my life, and has offered me lots of friendship and fellowship,” he said at the time.

Gordon recently wrote a book about his wartime experiences, entitled ‘Bash on Regardless’ which charts his very eventful wartime story.

Military veterans and members of today’s Army joined forces in support of Gordon Prime for the launch of his book last year at Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre.

Also joining him were family and friends, whilst Gordon’s grandson, George Prime, an Army Cadet at Neyland, carried the Normandy Veterans Association Standard which was brought along by Graham Phillips of Pembroke.

The Mayor of Pembroke Dock, representatives from the VC Gallery and fellow D-Day veteran Ted Owens were also present for the book launch.

Proceeds from the sale are for the Normandy Memorial Trust. It was Gordon’s wish that a memorial to Army despatch riders is created for the National Arboretum in Staffordshire.

Gordon served with No89 Company of the Royal Army Service Corps and landed on the Normandy beachhead on D-Day, June 6th, 1944. His company motto is the title of his book.

He joined the army in 1942 age 18, and in 1944 landed in Normandy on D­-Day, at Juno Beach. “We went right through France, Belgium, Holland into Germany, with various battles along the way,” explained Gordon.

“I was a dispatch rider, so I had to get all over the place on a motorcycle, delivering messages. My job was going up to the frontline. They’d give me their messages of supplies that they wanted. The supplies would be taken up in the cover of night and I’d often have to lead the convoy. No lights would be used, it was totally dark. I’ll never know how we did it, but we did it.

“Our company motto was ‘bash on regardless’ and that’s just what we had to do. You couldn’t give up - it would have been letting your mates down.”

“Ten days before the end of the war, a fellow dispatch rider, and my number one pal Bert Tinscombe was killed in Germany. We served together all the way through. We shared everything, the same slit trench, we did everything together. It was very sad,” he continued.

On VE Day, Gordon and his fellow comrades were in Germany.

“All the boys had been saving their booze up because they knew the end of the war was imminent. Unfortunately on that particular day I was on duty, I think I was the only one in that camp who was sober!” he explained.

“We heard the news on the radio. We had a tank radio and it could pick up the BBC and we all celebrated. We built a massive bonfire in the evening, the boys were all drinking then, all the local booze that they’d acquired. I remember thinking - thank God it’s all over!

“In my case it was two years before I was demobbed. In August all the young ones in my unit, we were put into a new unit to be sent to Burma, because of course the Japanese war was still going. They sent us back to England to regroup for the mainland invasion of Japan.

“Can you imagine? I bought a morning newspaper at Dover station en route to Burma and the headline read - ‘Atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima’. I didn’t know what it meant at the time, but thank God we didn’t have to go. We were then sent back to Germany and spent two years as army of occupation in Germany. I was demobbed in May of 1947,” continued Gordon, who was also been presented with the Royal British Legion’s Gold Badge for his outstanding service to the organisation, marking 70 years of service.

He continued his love of motorcycles after the war by becoming a test driver for Dunlop in Birmingham before retiring to Pembrokeshire with his wife Patricia who sadly passed away in 2014.

Gordon originally joined the British Legion, as it was then, in the Birmingham branch in 1948 and became involved with the Tenby branch over 30 years ago.

He is survived by daughter Christine of St Florence and sons John of Dudley and Steve of Jersey, together with grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

He will be sadly missed by his family and many friends in the community

The funeral service will take place on Friday, February 10 at Parc Gwyn Crematorium, Narberth at 11.30 am, with all welcome to attend the Sun Inn, St Florence afterwards.

As it was Gordon’s wish that a memorial to Army despatch riders is created for the National Arboretum in Staffordshire, donations in lieu of flowers can be made to the funeral directors, W. & M.J. Rossiter and Sons, The Old Rectory, The Norton, Tenby.