A Scottish D-Day hero died after choking on his full English breakfast in a care home for veterans , an inquest heard. Frederick Temple, who spent his last years in an ex-forces residential home in Portsmouth, died at the age of 97 while enjoying one of his favourite meals. Before his passing in August 2023, former Royal Marine Frederick was one of the last survivors of the Allied Forces' Normandy beach landings in 1944.
Only around 100 of those who participated in the operation are believed to be alive today. According to the inquest into his death, Mr Temple had mentally "regressed" back to his military days in his later years and frequently asked care home staff to "see the captain of the ship". The hearing was told that the veteran, who devoted 22 years of his life to defending his country, was the "typical military man ", "determined" and "frustratingly stubborn.
" The pensioner had suffered a similar choking incident the day before his death and a coroner has now concluded that dementia likely contributed to the event. Frederick was born in Glasgow in 1925, the Portsmouth Coroners Court in Hampshire heard. At 16 he left home to join the Marine Cadets until he became of age to serve.
The veteran went on to become a Coxwain, assigned to the SS Empire Cutlass, where he was successfully involved in four trips delivering British soldiers to Sword Beach on D-Day. He served for six years after joining in 1943. He then left and later re-joined in 1950 until 1966.
The D-Day hero .
