D-Day veteran who survived Nazi capture and taught schoolchildren about the war dies aged 101

From the Newshound archive · first published 21 September 2026 · last updated 22 September 2026.

Ken Hay, who landed at Normandy days after D-Day in 1944 and was taken prisoner by German forces on a night patrol in July, has died aged 101 after a short illness. Serving with the 4th Dorset infantry regiment, he was one of five men captured when his 30-man patrol was ambushed behind enemy lines, with nine of his comrades killed. He spent his final decades as an ambassador for the British Normandy Memorial, visiting schools so children could ask him questions directly.

Schoolchildren nicknamed him 'Grandad Ken' — the British Normandy Memorial said his 'passion for education was unwavering.'

After capture, Hay was transported to Zabrze, Poland, to work in a coal mine, then force-marched roughly 1,000 miles as Russian forces advanced — a journey that proved fatal for many fellow prisoners.

BBC Breakfast host Jon Kay, who had interviewed Hay several times on the programme, announced his death on air and offered condolences to his sons Chris and Jeremy.