RIP, Ron ...hero of D-Day

Merchant Navy veteran dies aged 98

- BY LUCY THORNTON

A DECORATED veteran who was only this year able to speak of the horrors he witnessed in the Second World War has died.

Ronald Butler, 98, served in the Merchant Navy as a young teenager and was awarded the Legion of Honour by the French for his service during the D-Day landings.

Daughter Christine Lincoln said he died on Monday after attending a commemoration of the 85th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

She said he "rose to the occasion" but afterwards was weak and wobbly and died quickly that afternoon after saying "night, night".

Ronald, a father of five daughters, only began to open up about his wartime experiences earlier this year.

In an interview with the Mirror, he said: "We must learn from the past and be peacemakers. Keep telling your children. Get it in their little heads what happened."