Petty Officer Cook Thomas Henry Ward, known as Harry, who won the Distinguished Service Medal for saving the life of an officer at Dunkirk, has been unmasked as the inspiration behind Uncle Albert.
Harry’s sister, Doreen Simson, who will be part of this year’s celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day on May 8, told The Sun: “Uncle Albert was based on my brother.
During the chaos off the French coast, Harry’s ship came alongside destroyer HMS Wakeful, which had picked up 640 soldiers before being hit by two torpedoes fired from a German E-boat.
Doreen says: “When the Leda sank, apparently Harry swam over to a merchant ship and later that sank as well.
Doreen, 87, of Crawley, West Sussex, says: “Somehow or other, Harry got a ribbon from the hat of one of the sailors from HMS Wakeful, which he always kept, and now I’ve got it.”.
