D-Day veteran among guests of honour at Pride of Reading
Lance Corporal Robbie Purver fought on Juno beach in June 1944 with the 5th Battalion Wiltshire Regiment, in 11 Platoon, C Company
Nick Horne with Robbie Purver at the Pride of Reading Awards ceremony
Among the guests of honour at Pride of Reading on Friday was a proud Second World War veteran who fought on the beaches alongside Chris Tarrant's dad Basil.
Lance Corporal Robbie Purver, 89, is a D-Day veteran who fought on Juno beach in June 1944 with the 5th Battalion Wiltshire Regiment, in 11 Platoon, C Company.
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The brave 19-year-old was made Corporal because of the high number of casualties. But on November 29, 1944, he was returned home to the UK after being shot in the arm.
"My arm was badly affected. And nowadays, as is usual when you get hurt like that, my arm aches a bit in the cold. But you learn to live with it. It was a long time ago," he said.
Speaking about Basil Tarrant, the proud old soldier said: "He was an officer and I was one of the minions. But he was a good man with excellent character – a chap you had confidence in and would follow anywhere."
Respect: Robbie Purver in Arnhem in 2011
Basil Avery Tarrant MC of the Royal Berkshire and Wiltshire regiments rose from Private to Captain to Major and landed at Juno Beach. He ended the war with a Military Cross.
Basil was blown up three weeks before the end of the war by a landmine and nearly lost his arm. He died in 2005.
His son Chris Tarrant has published a book in tribute to his father Basil and Mr Purver helped with the research. "I'm the Robbie mentioned in the book 12 times," he said proudly.
Mr Tarrant added: "I wouldn't have been able to write a book without Robbie."
Reflecting on his wartime experiences Mr Purver said that it was important that people showed respect.
"In those days, we were committed to go – we had to go. Sometimes I wonder if people were conscripted to go to war these days, whether many would actually go," he said.
A picture of Robbie Purver taken in 1946
Having been married and sadly widowed three times, and raised eight children – three of whom he adopted – Mr Purver has not had much time for reunions.
But in 2011 he was invited to lay a wreath at Arnhem in the Netherlands at a site where the body of a British soldier was discovered during building works.
Mr Purver now lives in Derby, and was delighted to attend the Pride of Reading Awards, with his son-in-law Nick Horne, whom he described as his "closest mate, mentor and keeper".
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