James Radford (1 October 1928 – 6 November 2020) was an English folk singer-songwriter, peace campaigner and community activist. He was also the youngest known participant in the

Allied invasion of Normandy Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norm ...

in June 1944. The first song Radford wrote, "The Shores of Normandy", is also his most successful and best known, having been performed by him at two televised concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in 2014 and released as a single in May 2019 to raise funds for the Normandy Memorial Trust. It topped the Amazon and iTunes download charts in the first week of June 2019, and reached number 72 on the official charts.

Life and career

Radford was born in Hull,

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire t ...

, England in October 1928. He became a member of the Merchant Navy at 15 and later joined the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

upon turning 18. He later became active in various peace campaigns. He retired after a varied career which included time as an Engineering Worker, in the press and in various roles in Community Work and Social Action initiatives. Radford performed his song, "The Shores of Normandy", at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

in London in the 70th anniversary year of the invasion in 2014. In October 2015 Radford was appointed a Chevalier of the

Légion d'Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...

by the French Republic "in recognition of... steadfast involvement in the Liberation of France during the Second World War". He died from

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...

on 6 November 2020, after spending three weeks in intensive care. He was 92.JIM RADFORD – PRESENTÉ
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Radford, Jim 1928 births 2020 deaths Military personnel from Kingston upon Hull British Merchant Navy personnel of World War II Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in England English anti-war activists English folk musicians English folk singers People from Kingston upon Hull 20th-century squatters 20th-century Royal Navy personnel Child soldiers in World War II

Life and career

See also

References