James (Roy) Harding Maxwell – Légion d’Honneur

In June 1944, as part of the 1st Special Service Brigade, No. 4 Commando landed on Sword Beach, Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer, 30 minutes before the rest of the brigade. Their first objectives were to capture a strongpoint and gun battery in Ouistreham.

As part of HQ Troop, Roy came in at 07:30 hours by landing craft, shortly after zero hour. As he and his comrades advanced up the beach under heavy enemy fire, the attachment of French commandos under Phillippe Kieffer peeled off to assault the German strongpoint on the beachfront.

From a news article… “A D-Day veteran who has recently turned 100 is hoping he can soon get back on his travels to Australia for some sunshine.

Roy Maxwell, who has lived in Bristol for 70 years, wanted to be in the Army ever since he was a young boy, so it was a dream come true when he joined the Royal Welsh Fusiliers aged 17 and then moved two years later to No. 4 Commando.

The veteran, who served in the Second World War, turned 100 last month and is still hopeful that he can travel down under again.

Roy, who lives independently in the Staple Hill area of the city, enjoys popping to a nearby golf driving range with neighbours. He says he swears by a cup of tea every morning and loves watching old-style comedies and comedians such as The Two Ronnies and Tommy Cooper. He also enjoys watching football and snooker as well as spending time with family and friends.

He credits keeping fit while he was in the Army with contributing to his good health.

His daughter Jane said that her father rarely drinks and he gave up smoking 70 years ago, as soon as the health warning was issued on cigarettes.

She added: “Everyone loves him, he’s always charming and polite. He’s reserved but always willing to help people. I recall as a child that he would always be doing something to help somebody. As a teenager it was always my dad that picked my friends and I up from clubs.”

Roy was born in Rhyl, North Wales, on 22 February 1922 and was brought up on his grandfather’s farm. He married Tegwedd and they had their daughter Jane.

On D-Day, Lord Lovat, the Commander of No 4, had brought his personal piper, Bill Millin, to pipe the men ashore. Bill famously played his bagpipes as his comrades fell around him on Sword Beach.

Roy and Bill remained friends after the war, when Roy would often visit Bill after he moved to a care home.

Roy left the Army aged 23 when No 4 Commando was disbanded and after the war he had a series of jobs working with his brother-in-law in construction, a garage, a department store and a builders’ merchants. When the builders’ merchants was sold to Jewson’s, Roy stayed with them until he retired.

Tegwedd’s ill health meant that they were unable to travel together but Roy enjoyed many holidays with his nephew in Spain and when he was 87 had his first trip to Australia, travelling on his own to see an Army buddy from No 4 Commando.

The Taxi Charity for Military Veterans organised the trip among others and Roy continued making these trips on his own for the next 10 years until he was 97.