WWII veteran, 102, dies with Covid in care home after not being able to hug his family since July
Video report by ITV News Correspondent Damon Green
A 102-year-old Second World War veteran who hadn't been able to hug his family since July has died after catching coronavirus.
Jim Pass, who died on November 4 - had been living in a care home in Sheffield since July.
Mr Pass was a decorated Second World War veteran who was rescued from the beaches of Dunkirk, only for the paddle steamer he boarded to be hit by a bomb killing hundreds on board.
He played a vital part in the D-Day landings and was awarded France's highest honour for his role in liberating the country.
His 94-year-old wife, Rita, told Good Morning Britain she hadn't hugged her husband since he was moved to a home in July.
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His step-daughter Kerensa Welsby said the decision to move him into a home was even harder than normal due to the difficulties of choosing the right residence during the coronavirus pandemic.
She described him as "full of mischief" but also full of drive, a hard worker, with an eye for detail. "he worked really really hard for lots of other people, and he was certainly somebody that was about living life to the full and living life for today.
Rita said: "He was amazing."
She said moving him to the home "was the hardest bit, I felt in a way that I'd lost him when he went into the home."
The family had been limited to distant meetings with mask on in order to see him after he entered the home.
They said he would often struggled to recognise him due to the distance and the fact they were wearing masks.