Overview

• More than 100 motorcyclists rode in procession to Ilkeston Football Ground on August 8 to commemorate Donald Rose’s final journey.
• Rose, who died on July 11 at age 110, was recognised as the UK’s oldest man and its longest-serving surviving Second World War veteran.
• He enlisted at 23 with the Queen’s Royal Regiment, fought in North Africa, Italy and Normandy, and helped liberate Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
• His bravery earned him multiple decorations, including France’s Legion d’Honneur and the Freedom of the Borough of Erewash.
• Rose’s lifelong passion for motorbikes and post-service bucket-list adventures underscored community efforts to honour the legacy of dwindling WWII veterans.