One of the last remaining veterans of the Dunkirk evacuation who queued for 36 hours before getting on a 'little ship' back to Britain dies aged 98
- Arthur Taylor was one of 330,000 stranded men that were rescued from Dunkirk
- Arthur spent nearly two days being shot at and shelled by the Nazis in Dunkirk
- In later years, he contributed to director Christopher Nolan's 2017 Dunkirk film
- Ex-RAF radio operator, 98, suffered a fall in November and died five weeks later
Arthur Taylor, one of the last remaining veterans of Dunkirk, has died at the age of 98
A Dunkirk veteran who saw his comrades cut down by machine gun fire from Nazi planes, before later contributing to Christopher Nolan's 2017 movie about the evacuation, has died aged 98.
Arthur Taylor, originally from Mortlake, south west London, was one of the 330,000 stranded men rescued from the beaches of the French town after spending nearly two days being shot and shelled by the Germans.
The RAF radio operator queued for 36 hours before getting on a 'little ship' that took him back to England.
Arthur suffered a fall at home in November and spent five weeks in hospital before passing away on December 28.
He leaves wife Vera, six children, 13 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren.
In recent years, he was heavily involved with the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships organisation and led the veterans' parade in Dunkirk for the 75th anniversary of Operation Dynamo in 2015.
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He also described the evacuation in harrowing detail to director Christopher Nolan which helped him produce his 2017 movie Dunkirk.
Arthur was a VIP guest for the film's premiere in London.
He had lied about his age to join the Territorial Army back in 1936, having been working for Harrods.
He joined the RAF in May 1939 and trained as a wireless operator for Lancaster bombers.
Arthur at the 2018 Rememberance service in Bournemouth. Arthur was an RAF radio operator and queued for 36 hours before getting on a 'little ship' that took him back to England
Arthur Taylor on a veterens cruise in September 2018. In later years, he also described the evacuation in harrowing detail to director Christopher Nolan for his 2017 movie
However, he caught pleurisy during his training and couldn't fly at high altitude so went on to serve as ground crew.
In January 1940, he joined the RAF's 13 Squadron based at Arras in northern France and was then attached to the Army's Royal Artillery as a forward spotter.
By May 10, he and his comrades advanced along the River Dyle in Belgium but they were forced to retreat by the German Blitzkrieg of the Low Countries.
His unit made its way to the Bergues Canal and was regularly shelled by the advancing Germans, taking numerous casualties.
Dunkirk veterans Arthur Taylor and Garth Wright meet Prince Harry at a reception hosted by the Prince ahead of the 'Dunkirk' World Premiere
Arthur laying a wreath at Dunkirk in 2015. Arthur suffered a fall at home in November and spent five weeks in hospital before passing away
By May 28, his regiment were the last line of defence between the enemy and the beaches.
Arthur said in an interview with the Bournemouth Echo in 2010: 'At this point we had had no drink or food for days.
'We went to a café and were told there was no water in Dunkirk because the Germans had blown up all the water mains.
'Instead they filled our bottles with vin rouge.'
He arrived on the packed beach on May 29 and found a massive queue for the boats.
Arthur Taylor (second left) with three other veterans at a cruise in September 2018
Arthur said: 'We were queuing for 36 hours to get to the pier. The line was 20 people wide. For 36 hours we were bombed and shelled.
'We saw people machine-gunned right before our eyes.
'You didn't think about what was happening - you just got on with it. That was the true Dunkirk spirit.'
Arthur got on the armed trawler the Lord Grey on May 30 which took him to Dover.
He was then posted to RAF Hawkinge and RAF Lympne in Kent during the Battle of Britain where he worked as ground crew on Spitfires.
Arthur at the 2018 Rememberance service in Bournemouth. He leaves wife Vera, six children, 13 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren
He met Vera while serving at RAF Christchurch in 1941 and they were married in the same year.
Post-war, Arthur lived in Christchurch, Dorset, with Vera, who is still alive, and passed away peacefully in Poole Hospital.
Ian Gilbert, the vice admiral of the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships, paid a glowing tribute to the war hero.
He said: 'Arthur had a great spirit. He was a great advocate for the importance of Operation Dynamo and how it had transformed the opportunity for Britain to save itself after the disastrous campaign of the British Expeditionary Force.
'He was always in great humour and loved life and enjoyed a tipple with us.
'In 2015 when he was 95 he led the massive civic parade through the town of Dunkirk. Absolutely amazing.
Arthur Taylor with Grandson Lt Col. Stuart Taylor. Arthur lied about his age to join the Territorial Army back in 1936, having been working for Harrods at the time
'He will be sadly missed by all his friends from the Little Ships but not forgotten.'
One of those friends was veteran Gurkha Sanjkar Gurung who accompanied Arthur at numerous Remembrance Sunday ceremonies.
He posted on social media: 'RIP Arthur sir, we won't be marching together again on Remembrance Sunday. I shall miss you very much. You have absolutely done your bit for Queen and Country, it is time to rest now....I salute you Sir.'
After the war he was demobbed but rejoined the RAF six months later as he couldn't settle into civilian life. He served for 36 years, including in Hong Kong, Kenya and Singapore during the Malayan Emergency in the 1950s.
After eventually retiring from the RAF he worked as a part time accountant in Christchurch.
A special ensign of St George that only the Dunkirk Little Ships are allowed to fly will be draped on his coffin at his funeral on February 1 in Bournemouth.
