89-year-old Great Escape

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This topic has 43 replies, 31 voices, and was last updated 9 years ago by ernie_lynch.

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89-year-old Great Escape
bencooper
Free Member

Have we done this yet?

An 89-year-old WW2 veteran who was banned by his nursing home from going to France for the D-Day commemorations sneaked out and went anyway.

The pensioner had gone out wearing a grey mac and a jacket underneath with his war medals on, the police force said.

A spokesman said: “We have spoken to the veteran who called the home today and are satisfied that the pensioner is fine and that his friends are going to ensure he gets back to Hove safely over the next couple of days after the D-Day celebrations finish.”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-27735086

Good work, Sir 😀

Posted 9 years ago

LoCo
Free Member

Heard that on radio earlier, great story 😀

Posted 9 years ago

wwaswas
Full Member

Chapeau, chapeau sir.

Posted 9 years ago

Fresh Goods Friday 700 - The censored edition

ninfan
Free Member

Brilliant!

Wonder how long he’ll get in the cooler?

Posted 9 years ago

Stevet1
Free Member

Why was he “banned” from going? Can a care home really ban you from going anywhere?

Posted 9 years ago

wwaswas
Full Member

Can a care hoem really Ban you from going anywhere?

not really, they probably just told him they didn’t think it was a good idea.

but the idea of some old boy sneaking out past a watch tower staffed by Hattie Jaques look-a-likes with his medals pinned to his PJ’s under an old sou’wester is quite an attractive one 🙂

Posted 9 years ago

wwaswas
Full Member

here he is;

Posted 9 years ago

jambalaya
Free Member

Tremendous. Thanks for sharing.

Posted 9 years ago

wwaswas
Full Member

well, a bit of delving = maybe that’s him, tweet from Hove care home and people are putting 2 and 2 together;

https://o.twimg.com/2/proxy.jpg?t=HBgpaHR0cHM6Ly90d2l0cGljLmNvbS9zaG93L2xhcmdlL2U1a3k5bS5qcGcUsAkUqAgAFgASAA&s=CfbTfuQ8z9hXoiE-gtcehyeqdI56cusbZ7Hx_eHLPOU

Posted 9 years ago

theotherjonv
Full Member

Pin another one on alongside that tremendous collection.

Proper heroes these, not someone who kicks / hits a ball for a living. And I say that as a devoted sports fan.

Posted 9 years ago

vorlich
Free Member

Great to see. Same goes for Jock Hutton, doing a parachute jump over Normandy 70 years on. 🙂

Posted 9 years ago

wwaswas
Full Member

It’s been confirmed the bloke above is the one involved.

Posted 9 years ago

bikebouy
Free Member

Good show, proper people just get on with it.

They should be encouraged not belittled.

*dofts cap

Posted 9 years ago

tang
Free Member

Fantastic!

Posted 9 years ago

ninfan
Free Member

Can a care home really ban you from going anywhere?

I reckon that with this one, the whole German army couldn’t stop him 😀

Posted 9 years ago

rogerthecat
Free Member

Awesome, in the true sense of the word.

Posted 9 years ago

hammyuk
Free Member

“Banned” – WTF!
I’d not only have made sure he got to go – I’d of been sat next to the old bugger!!
It boils my p*ss that someone thought they knew better and told him no – to deny him the respect to stand next to his friends, to remember, to pay his respects to those who still lie there.
The care home should be named and shamed.
I love the tweet from Nev Kemp, the police commander for the City of Brighton & Hove, tweeted: “Love this: 89yr old veteran reported missing by care home who said he can’t go to Normandy for #DDay70 remembrance. We’ve found him there!”
Sounds like he feels the same as the rest of us 😉

Posted 9 years ago

higthepig
Free Member

I’d like to buy that man a beer, next time I’m down that way I’ll try to find him ( providing he is not throwing a ball at the wall in the cooler).

Good on him

Posted 9 years ago

Bunnyhop
Full Member

Brilliant.

Posted 9 years ago

rossatease
Free Member

Good on him, naturally the ‘care’ home are now denying they refused permission, but what a shame nobody thought to accompany him, to check he’d be OK. – ****.

Posted 9 years ago

acehtn
Free Member

Top Man 🙂

Posted 9 years ago

jag61
Full Member

some amazing stories throughout the day, but i think this beats most of them. Bloody Well done Sir 😀 😀 and thankyou
Damn this high pollen count!! 😉

Posted 9 years ago

peterfile
Free Member

t boils my p*ss that someone thought they knew better and told him no – to deny him the respect to stand next to his friends, to remember, to pay his respects to those who still lie there.
The care home should be named and shamed.

They didn’t ban him, they just couldn’t get him on a proper trip.

That’s a non story though, so the more interesting version went viral instead.

Posted 9 years ago

ernie_lynch
Free Member

The care home should be named and shamed.

The OP’s link clearly names the care home, it’s : The Pines nursing home in Hove.

Posted 9 years ago

esselgruntfuttock
Free Member

Promote that man immediately!
Hats off!

Posted 9 years ago

paulmgreen
Free Member

Superb…… Grand old fella …… Fair play to him

Posted 9 years ago

MoreCashThanDash
Full Member

….and that is why we won the war. 😆

Posted 9 years ago

Northwind
Full Member

I hope he climbed out the window and disappeared…

Posted 9 years ago

ninfan
Free Member

Wait till they find the Glider on top of his wardrobe!

Posted 9 years ago

MarkBrewer
Free Member

They didn’t ban him, they just couldn’t get him on a proper trip.

That’s a non story though, so the more interesting version went viral instead.

Thought there had to be another side to the story as banning sounded a bit extreme.

But still doesn’t take anything away from him. Love the fact that he’s still got his fighting spirit and went anyway, top man 8)

Posted 9 years ago

grantway
Free Member

Brilliant Good on Him 😉

Posted 9 years ago

acehtn
Free Member

He is now on his way back to Stalag luft Pines, his Mrs is awaiting his return and not impressed 🙂

That might have something to do with the photo flashed on the news this morning of him clutching a bag of duty free, while posing with 4 ladies in uniform 🙂

When i grow up/old i want to be like him.

Posted 9 years ago

robgclarkson
Free Member

it’s a total non story which ever way you look at it…

“man goes to france without telling wife”

quick, i’m just going to make a call to big whoop magazine 🙄

Posted 9 years ago

Coyote
Free Member

Yeah rob, whatever.

Posted 9 years ago

jaylittle
Free Member

It appears he was too late to book onto an organised trip. The ferry company that brought him back have offered free trips in the future to any further WWII events.

Posted 9 years ago

ninfan
Free Member

I’ll bet he’s not had to buy a pint all weekend, the sly old bugger!

For what it’s worth, I think the ‘we couldn’t get him on an organised trip’ is a bit weak, had they contacted one of the regimental or ships organisations, or even put out something on twitter, then heaven and earth would have been moved to get him there!

Posted 9 years ago

acehtn
Free Member

Media spin and PR story is ace.

Brittany ferries photo of him with duty free and 4 ladies in uniform 🙂

2 and 3 Para adopted him on the trip home and looked after there new best mate 🙂

Going on forum chatter elsewhere, he might have a busy week with lots of post from squaddies, bottles of scotch and maybe the odd baseball glove and ball.

Posted 9 years ago

hora
Free Member

We should write to him to thank him and for his journey

Posted 9 years ago

oldgit
Free Member

Looks like he pulled as well 8)

Posted 9 years ago

robdob
Free Member

For what it’s worth, I think the ‘we couldn’t get him on an organised trip’ is a bit weak, had they contacted one of the regimental or ships organisations, or even put out something on twitter, then heaven and earth would have been moved to get him there!

I would have booked holiday off at short notice, driven him there and paid for a top hotel for him to stay in and all the food and drink he wanted.
It still wouldn’t be enough to say thank you enough, but I’d consider it my duty to get him there and treat him like a king for the duration.

Posted 9 years ago