D-Day landings hero 'Chippy' dies at 92

A former serviceman from Wolverhampton who served at El Alamein has died at the age of 92.

Thomas Edward Hoyle, of Lawrence Avenue, Heath Town, died of old age on May 14 at Himley Hall nursing home, where he had lived for six months.

During his army career, Mr Hoyle fought under Field Marshal Montgomery. His nickname in the forces was Chippy.

Montgomery is famous for his victory at the Battle of El Alamein in 1942, where Mr Hoyle drove a Sherman tank. Lancashire-born Mr Hoyle moved to Wolverhampton as a young boy and joined the Staffordshire Yeomanry as part of the Territorial Army in 1935. He trained on horseback in the cavalry division.

He served for four years and signed up again but had time to marry his sweetheart Doris Blakeway a week before he was sent to war. Mr Hoyle trained in Palestine and was later moved to Israel. Once the desert war was over, he returned home before being sent to Scotland for further training, and then to Normandy for the D-Day landings.

Mr Hoyle was married to Doris for 53 years before she died in 1992. They had two sons, Robert and Mervin, and a daughter, Margaret. On leaving the Army he spent 22 years with Chillington Tool Company and later worked for Wolverhampton Council.

His son Robert, 49, said: "He was a family man. He enjoyed music, playing the piano in his sister-in-law's pub and landscape gardening. His kindness and goodwill to others shone, he was always considerate and a very good neighbour to those in his street."

Robert, of Stafford Road, Wolverhampton, said: "There are so few men left who served in the war during that time. He began on horseback before the army was mechanised with tanks – it's fascinating."

Mr Hoyle's funeral was held in Heath Town, Wolverhampton, last Wednesday.