D-Day first man in dies aged 102 just days before 82nd anniversary of Normandy invasion

D-Day first man in dies aged 102 just days before 82nd anniversary of Normandy invasionRonald Dukes landed on June Beach on June 6, 1944, after being ordered to write letters home because troops faced an almost certain death. Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Bookmark Add us as preferred source Comments By Giles Sheldrick 11:33, Sun, May 31, 2026 Updated: 11:33, Sun, May 31, 2026 D-Day hero Ron Dukes (Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Express)One of the first men to storm Normandy on D-Day has died aged 102. window.scriptsToLoad.push({url:'https://live.primis.tech/live/liveView.php?s=118222&vp_content=plembed3a6btjknzwqh&cbuster=%%CACHEBUSTER%%&playerApiId=v118222',triggeredBy:'tcfLoaded',delay:1500,containerId:'ovp-primis',title:"Primis player",beforeLoad:()=>{window.top.addEventListener('primisPlayerInit',e=>{try{if(e.detail&&e.detail.playerApiId==="v118222"){if(window.document.getElementsByClassName('jwplayer')[0]){e.detail.float('disable')}}}catch(e){}})},}) Fearless Ronald Dukes was just 20 and serving with the 22nd Dragoons when he landed on Juno Beach as part of a specialised mine-clearing regiment. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT Get the day's biggest headlines in UK and World news and more Subscribe Invalid emailWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy PolicyAnd like tens of thousands of soldiers who invaded Nazi-occupied France on June 6, 1944, he never expected to see the day out.Gunner “Ronnie” recalled the lead-up to the landings - the most daring military invasion in history - when he was told to pen letters to his family in anticipation of his almost certain death.He said: “We all wrote letters home, hoping they wouldn’t have to be sent, but expecting they would. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT“...