Farewell to modest D-Day hero Maurice, 99 - The Yorkshire Post says

When Maurice Sutcliffe broke his silence last year to recall his memories of his extraordinary role on D-Day in time for the 75th anniversary, he did so with wonderfully modest understatement.

The Royal Marine from Bradford was part of a crew tasked with the daunting mission of taking a small landing craft stacked high with four tons of anti-tank shells to the beach invasion. After completing that vital job, their craft was then loaded up with unstable German shells and mines and they were ordered to take them three miles out to sea and drop them in the water.

As Maurice put it last year, “it was a bit of a dodgy business”.

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Maurice, one of Yorkshire’s final Second World War heroes and a man believed to be Bradford Bulls rugby league team’s oldest fan – has now died at the age of 99.

D-Day veteran Maurice Sutcliffe from Bradford, who served with the Royal Marines Landing Craft Division, pictured in 2019. Picture: Tony Johnson.D-Day veteran Maurice Sutcliffe from Bradford, who served with the Royal Marines Landing Craft Division, pictured in 2019. Picture: Tony Johnson.
D-Day veteran Maurice Sutcliffe from Bradford, who served with the Royal Marines Landing Craft Division, pictured in 2019. Picture: Tony Johnson.

As his daughter Janet so eloquently puts it: “How lucky we were to have such a man in our lives for so many years.”

Editor’s note: first and foremost - and rarely have I written down these words with more sincerity - I hope this finds you well.

Almost certainly you are here because you value the quality and the integrity of the journalism produced by The Yorkshire Post’s journalists - almost all of which live alongside you in Yorkshire, spending the wages they earn with Yorkshire businesses - who last year took this title to the industry watchdog’s Most Trusted Newspaper in Britain accolade.

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Sincerely. Thank you.

James Mitchinson

Editor

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