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{{Short description|British soldier}}
{{Short description|British soldier (1925–2022)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox military person
{{Infobox military person
| name = Harry Billinge
| image = Harry Billinge.jpg
| caption = Billinge as a soldier and veteran
| honorific_suffix = {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|MBE}}
| honorific_suffix = {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|MBE}}
| birth_date = 1925
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1925|09|15|df=y}}
| death_date = {{Death date|2022|04|05|df=y}} (aged 96)
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2022|04|05|1925|09|15|df=y}}
| allegiance = {{flagu|United Kingdom}}
| allegiance = {{flagu|United Kingdom}}
}}
}}


'''Harry Billinge''' {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|MBE}} (1925 – 5 April 2022) was a British soldier.
'''Harry Billinge''' {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|MBE}} (15 September 1925 – 5 April 2022) was a British soldier.


Billinge served as a [[sapper]] with the 44 [[Royal Engineers|Royal Engineer]] Commandos during the [[Normandy landings]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Middleton |first=Joe |date=5 April 2022 |title=D-Day veteran Harry Billinge dies aged 96 as daughter pays tribute |work=[[The Independent]] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/harry-billinge-d-day-veteran-death-b2051389.html}}</ref> After World War II, Billinge moved to [[Cornwall]] and opened a [[Hairdresser|hairdressers]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=6 June 2021 |title=Forces for Good - An interview with Harry Billinge |work=Freemasonry Today |url=https://www.freemasonrytoday.com/features/forces-for-good-an-interview-with-harry-billinge-and-mark-ormrod-2-3}}</ref>
Billinge was born on 15 September 1925.<ref>{{cite web |title=Harry Billinge |url=https://veteransfoundation.org.uk/wall?h=13015 |website=Veterans' Foundation |access-date=2 May 2022}}</ref> He served as a [[sapper]] with the 44 [[Royal Engineers|Royal Engineer]] Commandos during the [[Normandy landings]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Middleton |first=Joe |date=5 April 2022 |title=D-Day veteran Harry Billinge dies aged 96 as daughter pays tribute |work=[[The Independent]] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/harry-billinge-d-day-veteran-death-b2051389.html}}</ref> After World War II, Billinge moved to [[Cornwall]] and opened a [[hairdressers]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=6 June 2021 |title=Forces for Good - An interview with Harry Billinge |work=Freemasonry Today |url=https://www.freemasonrytoday.com/features/forces-for-good-an-interview-with-harry-billinge-and-mark-ormrod-2-3}}</ref>


Billinge was appointed [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]] in the [[2019 New Year Honours]] for services to charitable fundraising.<ref>{{Cite news |date=28 December 2019 |title=New Year Honours: MBE for D-Day veteran Harry Billinge |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-50925385}}</ref>
In a 2019 interview with [[BBC]] Billinge was quoted as saying "Don't thank me and don't say I'm a hero. I'm no hero, I was lucky, I'm here. All the heroes are dead and I'll never forget them as long as I live."<ref>{{Cite news |title=D-Day veteran Harry Billinge: 'I'm no hero - I was lucky' |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-48543293 |access-date=2024-02-19 |language=en-GB}}</ref>


Billinge died on 5 April 2022. A funeral was held at [[St Paul's Church, Charlestown|St Paul's Church]] in [[Charlestown, Cornwall|Charlestown]] on 26 April 2022.<ref>{{Cite news |date=26 April 2022 |title=Harry Billinge: Hundreds at funeral of D-Day veteran |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-61221978}}</ref>
Billinge was appointed [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]] in the [[2019 New Year Honours]] for services to charitable fundraising, including raising more than £25,000 towards the cost of construction of the [[British Normandy Memorial]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=28 December 2019 |title=New Year Honours: MBE for D-Day veteran Harry Billinge |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-50925385}}</ref>

Billinge died on 5 April 2022, at the age of 96. A funeral was held at [[St Paul's Church, Charlestown|St Paul's Church]] in [[Charlestown, Cornwall|Charlestown]] on 26 April 2022.<ref>{{Cite news |date=26 April 2022 |title=Harry Billinge: Hundreds at funeral of D-Day veteran |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-61221978}}</ref>


== References ==
== References ==
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[[Category:2022 deaths]]
[[Category:2022 deaths]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:British soldiers]]
[[Category:Royal Engineers soldiers]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Cornwall]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Cornwall]]
[[Category:British Army Commandos soldiers]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:British hairdressers]]
[[Category:Burials in Cornwall]]
[[Category:British Christians]]

{{UK-army-bio-stub}}
{{UK-army-bio-stub}}

Latest revision as of 11:46, 6 June 2024

Harry Billinge

Billinge as a soldier and veteran
Born(1925-09-15)15 September 1925
Died5 April 2022(2022-04-05) (aged 96)
Allegiance United Kingdom

Harry Billinge MBE (15 September 1925 – 5 April 2022) was a British soldier.

Billinge was born on 15 September 1925.[1] He served as a sapper with the 44 Royal Engineer Commandos during the Normandy landings.[2] After World War II, Billinge moved to Cornwall and opened a hairdressers.[3]

In a 2019 interview with BBC Billinge was quoted as saying "Don't thank me and don't say I'm a hero. I'm no hero, I was lucky, I'm here. All the heroes are dead and I'll never forget them as long as I live."[4]

Billinge was appointed MBE in the 2019 New Year Honours for services to charitable fundraising, including raising more than £25,000 towards the cost of construction of the British Normandy Memorial.[5]

Billinge died on 5 April 2022, at the age of 96. A funeral was held at St Paul's Church in Charlestown on 26 April 2022.[6]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Harry Billinge". Veterans' Foundation. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  2. ^ Middleton, Joe (5 April 2022). "D-Day veteran Harry Billinge dies aged 96 as daughter pays tribute". The Independent.
  3. ^ "Forces for Good - An interview with Harry Billinge". Freemasonry Today. 6 June 2021.
  4. ^ "D-Day veteran Harry Billinge: 'I'm no hero - I was lucky'". Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  5. ^ "New Year Honours: MBE for D-Day veteran Harry Billinge". BBC News. 28 December 2019.
  6. ^ "Harry Billinge: Hundreds at funeral of D-Day veteran". BBC News. 26 April 2022.
[edit]