ONE of York’s last surviving Normandy veterans has died, aged 92.

George Meredith, of Acomb, who died in York Hospital, was chairman of the former York branch of the Normandy Veterans’ Association and was there when it laid up its branch standard at York Minster earlier this year.

The father of two sons and a daughter, whose partner was Elsie Johnson, went out to Normandy every year to commemorate the D-Day landings, with his final trip earlier this summer.

He was one of seven veterans from York - dubbed The Magnificent Seven - who went in 2014 for the major commemoration of the 70th anniversary.

Former French President Francois Hollande announced then that surviving veterans were to receive France’s highest honour - the Legion d’Honneur- and George finally received his medal last year.

Fellow veteran Ken Smith said yesterday: “The magnificent seven is now three! George was a gentleman, a very pleasant man. He was very quiet but attended all our events.”

George, formerly of Scarborough, told The Press some years ago of his Normandy experiences after he landed in France on the day after D-Day.

“It was not very good,” he said. “I had a Ford lorry and had 3,000 gallons of petrol with me. We managed to drive off the beach because I was in a lorry. The resistance was not so bad but I did see some.

“I could see machine gun fire from up above on the cliffs, but I didn’t get hit. I was concentrating on driving in the convoy.”

George was one of five veterans whose first hand experiences have formed the basis of a play called Bomb Happy, which Everwitch Theatre is taking to six venues this autumn, including Helmsley Arts Centre on October 6 and Pocklington Arts Centre on October 26.

Funeral arrangements for George have not yet been finalised but Mr Smith said there would be a guard of honour, with the Royal British Legion providing a standard.