Shoreham war hero celebrates 105th birthday

A Shoreham Beach veteran of the gruelling Italian Campaign in the Second World War celebrates his 105th birthday today.
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William Earl featured in the BBC documentary My Granddad’s War, fronted by Gary Lineker, last year and his life story has been showcased in the book Blood and Bandages, published by author Liz Coward in 2017.

William was born on May 12, 1915, in Sudbury and went on to train as a chemist’s assistant at Boots in London. He was then called up to join a field ambulance with the Royal Army Medical Corps, aged 25, leaving his wife-to-be Mary Standen back in England.

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William was trained as a nursing orderly and was responsible for collecting, treating and evacuating the wounded from the front line. He says he never considered himself in the army, but ‘of the army’.

William Earl is 105 today and friends and neighbours will be applauding him on 11amWilliam Earl is 105 today and friends and neighbours will be applauding him on 11am
William Earl is 105 today and friends and neighbours will be applauding him on 11am

In anticipation of action overseas, William married Mary in November 1941 and their first son, David, was born the following spring.

William first saw action in Enfidaville in April 1942 with the Eighth Army. Within weeks, he was involved in a highly dangerous mission to recover the injured from No Man’s Land.

At the end of the North African Campaign, William joined a German dressing station to deal with the wounded before being assigned to join the Anglo-American Fifth Army, which was preparing to invade Italy.

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William landed 25 minutes after the first assault troops at Salerno Bay in September 1943, and, along with his colleagues, treated the wounded on the beachhead before finally advancing in land.

William Earl aged 30 in ItalyWilliam Earl aged 30 in Italy
William Earl aged 30 in Italy

When peace finally came to Italy in May 1945, William raced to beat the New Zealanders to Venice. They won and within two months, William was on his way home, after three years away.

William said: “I was camped outside Venice when we realised it was all over. We felt a great sense of relief that all the fighting was done and after six long years we could have peace again. We must always honour everyone who died and sacrificed their lives to give us 75 years of peace and freedom.”

William was demobbed in July 1946 and returned to Boots, where he stayed until he retired.

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In 1952, William and Mary had a second son, Michael, and four years later, the family moved to Shoreham for health reasons.

William, his wife Mary and two-month-year-old  David in July 1942William, his wife Mary and two-month-year-old  David in July 1942
William, his wife Mary and two-month-year-old David in July 1942

William set up Shoreham Camera Club and joined the management committees of Shoreham Community Centre and Shoreham Horticultural Society.

He also joined the Mario Lanza Society and became chairman in 1980, then trustee of the Mario Lanza Foundation in 1986. Mary died the same year, after 43 years of happy marriage. Sadly, the heart defect with which she was born was passed on to their children, and both died within the next seven years.

William married his second wife, Judith Deak, in April 1992 and together, they toured the world as part of Jose Carreras’ production team in his tribute to Mario Lanza, The Last Serenade.

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William continued to work as a part-time dispensing chemist into his 80s and in 1998 attended the Queen’s garden party to celebrate 50 years of the NHS.

Friends and neighbours will be applauding William at 11am today, to celebrate his birthday.

He has three grandchildren, nine great grandchildren and three great, great grandchildren.

Kiara Earl, 14, his great grand-daughter, said: “I just wanted to do something special for my great granddad on his 105th birthday to help him celebrate.”

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