BEAUCHAMP LODGE 1422 - The West Kent Military Lodge

Incredible Harry Billinge’s favourite poem

Author:
Mark Eyles-Thomas
PDProvGM West Kent, Member of Beauchamp Lodge No.1422
Date:
7 April 2022
Category:
D-Day veteran Harry Billinge has died aged 96 following a short illness, his family has confirmed.

Mr Horace "Harry" Billinge, from St Austell, Cornwall, was 18 when he was a sapper attached to the 44 Royal Engineer Commandos ahead of the Normandy landings. He was one of only four of his unit to survive the storming of Gold Beach on 6 June 1944. The veteran spent more than 60 years collecting for the Royal British Legion's Poppy Appeal.

In honour of the life and service of Harry Billinge MBE, we present his favourite poem, read by Harry Billinge , standing on Gold Beach where he landed:

The Longest Day

Do not call me hero, when you see the medals that I wear, medals maketh not the hero, they just prove that I was there.

Do not call me hero, now that I am old and grey, I left a lad, returned a man, they stole my youth that day.

Do not call me hero, when we ran the wall of hail, the blood, the fears, the cries, the tears, we left them where they fell.

Do not call me hero, each night I stop and pray, for all the friends I knew and lost, I survived my longest day

Do not call me hero, in the years that pass, for all the real true heroes, have crosses, lined up on the grass

A picture of the young Harry Billinge in his Royal Engineer’s uniform along side a photo of a much older Harry wearing his Engineer’s commando beret and his war medals and decorations
A picture of Harry Billinge receiving his MBE from HM The Queen along side a photo of a much older Harry wearing his Engineer’s commando beret and his war medals and decorations

An image of a roaring tiger with a hyper link to the Beauchamp Lodge website ‘who calls the tiger’ page

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