We have sadly learned of the death of George Chandler, one of the very last remaining veterans, who 'crossed the bar' on 19 October, 2024, aged 99. George who was just a few months shy of becoming 100 was originally a member of South London Branch, being their last ever Chairman. He served on Motor Launches, and then was a crew member on MTB 710 which served in Home Waters, and then later the Mediterranean. George earned a Mention in Despatches in November 1944 for "outstanding skill and determination in close engagements with the enemy, while serving in Light Coastal Craft".
His boat MTB 710 was lost in the Adriatic on 10 April, 1945 after it struck a mine, which resulted in a large number of casualties amongst George's crew mates. George survived the incident, managing to extricate himself from the upturned section of the boat which had broken off and started to sink, by swimming to the surface through a hole create by the explosion. George later recounted the incident in an interview given BBC Southwest.
George was very active in the lead up to the 80th anniversary of D-Day this year, being interviewed on France TV 3 (Normandie), and met the Secretaries of State for Defence and Education on board HMS Belfast, where he spoke passionately about the waste and futility of war. He attended this year's Trooping of the Colour and was due to lead the Parade of Blind Veterans at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Day.
Lest we forget