Overview

• Cecil Newton, a D-Day veteran and member of the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards, passed away in his sleep on May 1, 2025, at the age of 101.
• Newton was among the first to land on Gold Beach on June 6, 1944, aboard a Sherman Duplex Drive tank during the Normandy landings.
• He survived being shot three times near the German border later in the war and carried shell fragments in his body for the rest of his life.
• In June 2024, Newton participated in the D-Day 80th anniversary commemorations, reading the names of fallen comrades and laying a wreath at a memorial.
• His passing marks the loss of one of the last living witnesses to the Normandy invasion, underscoring the dwindling number of firsthand WWII accounts.