First Bus York proudly unveiled a revamped bus today, renamed in honour of the last-surviving York veteran of D-Day.
Ken Cooke, a resident of Hull Road, landed on Gold Beach on the Normandy coast in June 1944, at the age of 18.
Ahead of his 100th birthday on 8 August, First Bus chose to pay tribute to the local legend with his very own automobile.
The bus reveal was kept a secret by Ken’s family and friends, as he attended the James Street depot this morning for what he thought to be a tour.
After a walk around the warehouse to watch the engineering team service the buses, Ken was invited to step outside.
He told YorkMix, “They told me they had a special bus outside which had just been released, and they’d like me to take a look at it.”
To his surprise, Ken was greeted by the newly named bus, with family, friends, and members of the York Normandy Veterans Group on board.
Ken’s son, Steven Cooke, remarked, “Things like this are priceless in my book.”
Teary eyed, Ken stood in the sunshine ahead of the double decker, alongside his friend Nick Beilby.
He told YorkMix, “it’s marvelous, I never expected anything like this”.
As an avid bus spotter and public transport enthusiast, Ken was the perfect candidate to honour this way.
The bus operator learned of the York veteran by driver Anthony Richmond, who had met Ken a few weeks prior.
Keen to meet him as well, Joel Bradley, First Bus York General Manager, invited Ken down to their offices by Rougier Street.
Joel told YorkMix, “We sat down for about an hour and a half, and Ken recounted Tales from the war, and we just sat there in absolute awe of his stories.”
Ken was born on 8 August 1925 in Kirkby in Ashfield, before relocating with his family to the Fulford Road area of York.
As a member of the Fishergate Army Cadets, Ken was called up on his 18th birthday and sent to Catterick for basic training in 1943.
Shortly after, he was posted to The Green Howards, 7th Battalion, and transferred to a camp in Hampshire.
It was only when shown photographs and a model of the French coastline that Ken realised he and his comrades were to go into action.
Ken set sail in an American Liberty ship late on June 5th 1944. Following a breakfast of scotch porridge with salt and a tot of rum, he was transferred to the landing craft.
This was Ken’s first time at sea, and he described the journey to the Normandy coast as, “A Boy Scouts adventure.”
Ken and fellow soldiers came ashore on Gold Beach in the second wave on June 6th, 1944, D-Day. They quickly fought their way off the beach and inland.
He told YorkMix, “It wasn’t scary, I wasn’t frightened, every part of D-Day was all adrenaline.
“But the following day when we were having our breakfast, you looked round and you said, ‘where’s Harry, where’s Jordy?’ And somebody said they got killed, that’s when I knew everything that was going on was serious, and the bullets coming towards you were real.”
Ken was seriously injured a few weeks after D-Day and returned to the UK for treatment.
He was later posted to Germany, where he came under attack from shelling, and was diagnosed with what is now known as PTSD.
Ken was discharged from the Army and returned to his former role in the Blacksmith’s shop at Rowntrees, where he remained until his retirement 48 years later.
Ken chose not to speak about his experiences of D-Day until around 30 years ago, and later joined the York Normandy Veterans Group.
At the time, there were around 20 other veterans, but now Ken remains the last surviving member.
He often recalls his experiences, telling YorkMix, “Sometimes when I’m watching television or reading the paper, something clicks and takes me back, but I’m used to it now.
“I remember some things, some I will never forget.”
Ken was awarded the Légion d’Honneur by the French Government for his bravery and he often attends schools and young people’s organisations to share his story.
Despite all this, he never allows anyone to call him a hero. He says that the heroes are the ones that never returned home.
Take a look at some of the pictures from the big reveal this morning.
