Harry Gamper Obituary, Death – It is with a heavy heart that we must inform you that Harry Gamper, our 102-year-old D-Day pilot, passed away on Christmas Eve. Harry was a veteran of the invasion of Normandy. A D-Day pilot who recently celebrated his 102nd birthday says his passion for a great wine is the reason he has lived so long. Harry Gamper, who turned 102 on July 20, was unable to attend the celebration of his 100th birthday due to a lockdown, but his family and friends made sure he had twice as much pleasure this year. War hero Harry, who participated in World War II as a pilot for the Royal Air Force, was awarded medals for his service in France and Germany, among them a medal for the Battle of the Atlantic.
After serving in the RAF for over a decade and logging over a thousand hours in the cockpit of aircraft such as Warwicks, Wellingtons, and Catalina flying boats, Harry finally retired from the service in 1946.
Harry, a father of two children, celebrated his birthday with a party that had an Italian theme in honor of his late wife, Annalisa, with whom he had spent many relaxing vacations in Italy. Harry remarked, “Life is beautiful, and I’ve always tried to make the most of every moment of it.”
“I adore beautiful art, music, delicious food, and the most exquisite wines.
“The most important thing in life is not any one of these things, but the people who are in it with you.”
I was looking forward to having a feast of Italian food and even participating in a sing-along to some classic Italian music.
On July 20th, 1920, Harry was born in the county of Surrey. After leaving the air force, he retrained in advertising and held positions at Unilever, The Morgan Group, and the disability charity SCOPE. He particularly enjoyed working in Nigeria, Ghana, and Sierra Leone during this time.
In 1983, he and his wife moved to Dorset for retirement. In the latter part of the 2000s, Harry purchased a cottage in the community of Straiton, Ayrshire. There, he developed an interest in gardening and took advantage of his location close to the coast.