Armed forces line street for funeral of decorated D-Day veteran Ted Owens

  • 'He was an incredible companion - he had so many memories' TV producer and friend Greg Lewis paid his tribute to Ted

Around a hundred armed forces personnel lined the streets to pay tribute to a decorated D-Day veteran at his funeral, who died just weeks before his 99th birthday.

Ted Owens, from Pembroke Dock, fought throughout the Second World War as a Royal Marines commando and marksman.

Born in Pembroke Dock in 1924, Ted received the Légion D’Honneur - the highest honour in France - for the role he played in liberating Normandy in 1944.

George Edward Owens, known affectionately as Ted, spent more than two months recuperating from his D-Day injuries
The Hearse was led by standard bearers before Ted's coffin was carried into the church Credit: ITV Wales

He landed on Sword Beach for D-Day on 6 June and despite being injured during the landing, returned to the battlefield just a few months later.

He is thought to be the longest surviving serviceman to have been injured during D-Day.

The funeral was held in Ted's home town Credit: ITV Wales

The former Royal Marines commando was injured three times in just five months, twice seriously, during the war but still played a role in liberating France, Belgium and the Netherlands in 1944.

Mr Owens is perhaps best known to viewers for featuring in the programme Lest We Forget in which he travelled across France and Germany with two primary school children, teaching them about World War Two as he retraced his steps as a young soldier.

Then aged 95, Ted was frequently stopped in the street for photos and, returning to Pont L'Évêque in France, he also found his portrait on a lamppost after helping liberate the town decades earlier.

Whilst visiting France, Ted found a portrait of himself as a young soldier on a lamppost Credit: ITV

Mr Owens told the children that the enormity of the Normandy landing was hard to take in and he was not absolutely sure it was real until the shells started landing around his craft.

Fellow service personnel lined up outside to pay tribute to Ted Credit: ITV Wales

Returning from the trip, Ted was overcome with emotion as he was cheered into an assembly by school children to give them a very important history lesson.

Recalling a fond memory of Ted, his friend and TV producer Greg Lewis told the story about how he managed to squeeze himself onto a small child-sized chair and enjoyed eating fish and chips with the pupils.

They then lined up to shake his hand as he left.

The funeral was held at St John's Church in Pembroke Dock.

Before the funeral, a fire engine led Ted's coffin out of the local fire station.

Standard bearers then walked in front of the hearse as it made its way from Garrison Chapel to the church.

Paying tribute to him during the ceremony, Greg said: "He may not have been a scholar, but he had a world of knowledge. It is not just a history book or a war diary that we have lost with Ted's passing, we have lost a library of memories and wisdom".

Recalling his life, Ted once said: "I have had a wonderful life, exceptional".

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