A larger-than-life veteran D-Day pilot has died at the age of 102.
Harry Gamper was a Coastal Command pilot during World War Two and was present at the D-Day landings, an experience he described as “incredible”.
Born and raised in Surrey, the father-of-two, who lived in Straiton and latterly Malin Court in Maidens, joined the RAF in 1941 at the age of 21, taking to the skies in the likes of Warwicks, Wellingtons and a Catalina flying boat.
He even won campaign medals for his service in France and Germany, including a Battle of the Atlantic medal.
Harry left the RAF in 1946, went on to marry Annalisa and have two sons, David and Andrew, and worked as a commercial artist in advertising.
The great-grandfather celebrated his 102nd birthday in July last year, with his son David flying in from Montreal, Canada, for a special garden party.
David said of his father: “He didn’t talk very much about his [war] experiences when we were young, we had to kind of drag it out of him.
“Most of the time he was just normal dad - very close to the family, very loving.
“He worked hard, but at the weekend he would go into the garden and that was his happy place.
“He was a fantastic gardener and very proud of growing vegetables.
“My brother and I used to make fun of him because he’d spend so much time in the garden.”
David said his dad, who was proud of his Swiss heritage, always had a positive outlook on life and still had pleasure in his life right up until he passed.
And Harry - the nephew of the founder of Barcelona football club, Joan Gamper - himself previously revealed the secret to longevity was enjoying life's pleasures in moderation.
He said on his 100th birthday: “My secret is all things in moderation, including sex.
“Enjoying things like music and art, good food and the odd glass of wine.
“Being outside in the fresh air especially next to the seaside like we are here. It is so beautiful.”
David said: “He’s always been one who enjoyed life.
“He was an artist all his life. He was trained as a commercial artist and worked in advertising.
“He used that skill for work but loved painting in his spare time. He produced so many watercolours over his life.
“There’s a whole bunch of them which aren’t framed which my son is going to catalogue so we have a proper record of it.
“His style was very beautiful and fine, he had a very precise hand.”
Harry moved to Straiton after his wife passed to enjoy being in a small community and to be closer to son Andrew, who lives near Dailly.
David added: “He loved Straiton - it’s a very friendly village.”
Harry is survived by his two sons David and Andrew, four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held on April 15 at 11am in Straiton (St Cuthbert’s) Parish Church by Reverend Jones. All welcome.
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