Funeral of Walsall war hero to be held next week
The funeral of a Walsall war hero who died hours after officially being awarded a commendation from the President of France will be held next week.
William Charles Garbett, from Walsall, was too unwell to attend the special event at Palfrey and Caldmore Senior Citizens Club on January 15, but his close friends and family held a ceremony in his absence.
But they sadly announced that later that day Mr Garbett died after suffering from pneumonia. He was 93 years old.
Mr Garbett joined the Navy at 17 years old and went through the training for the D-Day invasion and was one of the first to set foot on Sword Beach in 1944.
The commemoration event held in his honour was also attended by Walsall Mayor and Mayoress Marco and Andrea Longhi. Councillor Longhi read aloud a commendation from the Deputy Lieutenant to Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant, and the note that came with the Légion d’Honneur.
Mr Garbett's funeral will be held on February 6 at 12.45pm at St John's Church, Pleck, then onto Heath Lane Cemetery and then Walsall Football Club.
