Donald Rose

Donald Kitchener Rose (24 December 1914 – 11 July 2025) was an English supercentenarian and the oldest living World War II veteran at the time of his death. Following the death of John Tinniswood on 25 November 2024, Rose became the oldest living man in the United Kingdom.

Rose was born in Westcott, Surrey, England, on 24 December 1914.^[1] He married Jeannette "Janet" Rudin in Surrey in October 1946.^[2] The marriage produced one child.^[3] He was widowed in February 2001, after 54 years of marriage.

On Rose's 110th birthday, Christmas Eve 2024, Alfie Boe sang "Happy Birthday to You" to him via video call and he received a birthday card from Buckingham Palace.^[4] Rose appeared on The One Show VE Day 80th anniversary special, broadcast on 5 May 2025.^[5][6]

Rose enlisted in the British Army in 1940, aged 25, joining the Territorial Army component of the Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) and trained in Guildford.^[7]

From early 1942, Rose served with the 7th Armoured Division, better known as the Desert Rats, as part of the British Eighth Army. He saw action in several engagements during the North African campaign, including:^[7]

In September 1943, Rose and his battalion landed at Salerno, Italy, as part of the Allied invasion of Italy. By October, they returned to England to prepare for the Western Europe campaign.^[7]

Rose arrived on the Normandy Beaches on 9 June 1944 (D+3), as part of operations including Operation Goodwood and the breakout through France. His Battalion advanced through, Belgium, South Holland, the Netherlands, and finally into Germany. He was slighted wounded in the leg in Normandy but returned to active duty.^[7]

In April 1945, Rose was part of the division that liberated the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in northern Germany.^[7][8]

Rose was awarded campaign medals for North Africa, Italy, and Northwest Europe, and in 2025 received the Légion d’honneur from France. ^[9]

• 1939–1945 Star
• France and Germany Star
• Africa Star, with 8th Army Clasp
• Italy Star
• War Medal 1939–1945
• Légion d’honneur, rank of Chevalier, recognised for the 80th anniversary of VE Day^[10]

On 30 May 2025, Rose was awarded the Freedom of the Borough of Erewash, presented by the Mayor, Harry Atkinson.^[11]

Rose died at the Care Vue Care Home in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, on 11 July 2025, aged 110 years and 199 days. His death made Hugh Munro Kerr (born 9 October 1915) the oldest living man in the United Kingdom.^[12][13]

On 21 July 2025, Member of Parliament for Erewash Adam Thompson paid tribute to Rose during a debate commemorating the 80th anniversary of VJ Day. Thompson's contribution, in which he described Rose as a hero, was later echoed in the same debate by Defence Minister Luke Pollard and Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge.^[14]

His funeral was held on 8 August 2025 and was attended by hundreds of mourners. The hearse was escorted by more than 100 motorcycles to Ilkeston Town’s football ground, where the service took place, concluding with a salute by military personnel and veterans at the town’s cenotaph. John Wallace, a parade marshal for the Derbyshire Royal British Legion, stated that Rose had a strong interest in motorbikes, describing the escort as "a fitting tribute to his life and generation".^[15][16]

• Desert Rats