A military man who survived the Normandy landings and went on to run several shops in the Hinckley area has died.
Ron Collyer, from Earl Shilton, passed away at the age of 95 and will be cremated later this month on his birthday, after a private family service the day before.
He served in the Queen’s Royal Lancers during World War Two, where he would often play the piano to regale his comrades.
His daughter, Barbara, said: “He was very proud of the regiment he was in.
“Every time we went to Bovington on holiday we had to go to the tank museum, to see the tank he drove, to show us around the vehicle and explain how tight it was to be in there.”
Ron spoke to The Hinckley Times on the 70th anniversary of D-Day in 2014 about his experience as a trooper in the 17/21st Lancers Regiment.
“The first thing they told you was the reconnaissance corps was notorious for taking the most casualties,” he said.
“But we never took any notice. It might sound strange but we didn’t think about being afraid, we just got on with things.”
He was conscripted at the age of 18 and after basic training was transferred to Kent and learnt to swim at Margate, a ghost town after residents had fled, fearful of an invasion.
As a driver and gunner, Ron was part of a three-man team in a heavy armoured vehicle, with the crew devoting hours to waterproofing their truck on Margate prom.
They waited in the Channel for a week as the first wave of the Allied invasion made its way through northern France.
Reconnaissance units were tasked with getting ahead of advancing troops and reporting back on enemy movements, but the infantry needed to go in first, to clear a path for them.
Ron said: “We knew something was happening but we felt like we were out of the way.
“We didn’t feel like we were under threat, the RAF had mastery of the skies so we didn’t think we were in danger of being bombed.
“It was a funny feeling all round. There must have been hundreds of ships in the Channel but they were all spread about.
“When we did land it was like a continuous wave, there were thousands of people on Gold Beach where British troops landed.
“By then the place had been cleared so we got off the beach almost immediately.
“I remember it looked strange seeing just piles and piles of lifejackets.
“Everyone put a lifejacket on when they were ready to disembark but when you hit the beach you threw the thing off.
“There were literally mountains of them.”
The corps’ orders were to make for Bayeaux and join up with other units, with Ron and his team tasked with getting ahead of the frontline and gathering information on the enemy.
They would ‘snake’ along the roads, empty of all but armed forces vehicles.
However, his time in Normandy came to an end just a few months later when he was injured and had to be repatriated, recovering in a military hospital in Carlisle.
Here he met a nurse, Jean, who he married in 1945, and after a few months he was off to Europe again to serve in the tank regiment.
He saw action in Greece and Egypt before coming home for good.
Ron and Jean settled in Earl Shilton where they raised their two children, Ian and Barbara, with Ron working in the hosiery trade and Jean becoming a dental nurse.
He was well known for running several shops in Hinckley and Burbage, including one at the top of Castle Street, the post office in Derby Road, one in London Road and the parade of shops where the Three Pots Pantry is.
He retired in May 1989 on his 65th birthday.
Music was always a big part of his life, and he performed alongside Billy Breen, better known as Larry Grayson, presenter of The Generation Game, with jazzman Kenny Ball and with Irish singer Dana.
Barbara said: “He was always in a band. He learnt to play piano when he was six and carried on playing right up until the week he passed away.
“We always had pianos and organs around the house. He tried to teach us.”
Barbara plays the clarinet with the Enderby Apprentice Windband while Ian has run several music evenings and open mic events in the Earl Shilton area.
Ron was also a stalwart of the Hinckley branch of the Royal British Legion, which he joined in 1995, and he helped organise many of the annual commemorations in the town.
He was president of the group from 2015 until his death, keeping up to date with events despite being unable to attend meetings in his last few years.
He said in 2014: “I lost a good number of my mates who were involved in fighting around Bayeaux and I have been out to the cemeteries many times.
“It is important to mark these events and remember the people who died, especially for the youngsters of today.
“We all need to remember the sacrifice that was made, when you visit the cemeteries and see the number of headstones it is overwhelming.”
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Branch chairman Lloyd Bagshaw often went to see Ron at Moat House Care Home in Burbage.
He said: “He always liked to know what we were doing.
“He was always saying ‘I’ll come to the meeting. I’ll see you next Thursday’ even though he couldn’t.”
He added: “We are deeply saddened at his loss. We thank him for his service, both to the branch and for his commitment and sacrifices during the war.
“They gave us the freedom we have today.”
Ron was decorated for his wartime efforts with the Légion d'honneur, France’s highest honour, and with a chest badge for the 60th anniversary of the Normandy landings, presented in Caen.
He was also a firm supporter of Earl Shilton Baptist Church and was a pilot, qualifying for his silver wings in 1978.
Barbara said: “We’re quite alike. There’s a lot of him in me. His work ethic and his general manner, how he dealt with people.
“He was always very fair, I never heard him have a cross word with anybody.”
He had specific plans for his funeral which the family hope to carry out with an event later in the year.
Ron’s wife died several years ago but he is survived by his two children, his two grandchildren and his eight-month-old great granddaughter, Iris.
