Rest in peace, Ted

War hero Ted Jones passed away last night in Shrewsbury Hospital, just weeks away from reaching his 100^th birthday.

Flags will be flown at half-mast from the Town Hall and tributes have been flooding in for one of our last remaining WWII heroes who was a recipient of the Military Medal.

Stories of Ted’s bravery have been told for decades, having been one of the 115 men to have been chosen to join the ‘Suicide Squads’ of Operation Collar when men were selected to go back and create havoc on the beaches of Dunkirk following the evacuation. Their daring raid went on to inspire the Commandos, and special forces like the SAS and the US Army Rangers.

"When we landed on the beach at Calais the Germans were waiting for us, so we opened up on them with the Thompson machine gun," he told the BBC in 2016.

"Well that's what we'd been told to do, just cause as much damage as we could, kill as many Germans as possible - then get the hell out of there again.

"When we'd shot the first two guards all the flood lights had come on, so the speedboat had put out back to sea. 

"In the meantime the beach was now crawling with German patrols looking for us. All we could do was hide in the rushes and hope.

"I said my prayers several times that night, I didn't think I was getting out of there."

Ted did return and was awarded his Military Medal in Burma for taking out Japanese bunkers single handed. He was injured at one point and was medevacked out by American comedian and actor Jackie Coogan. He also served in Madagascar (pictured).

Ted, a retired farmer, was an active member of the Burma Star Association, Welshpool RWF Old Comrades and Welshpool Royal British Legion. He acted as parade marshal on numerous occasions and also put standard bearers from Mid Wales and Shropshire through their paces at special training events once held regularly in the town hall.

Recently he was living at Hafren Residential Home. His wife Ruth died several years ago and he leaves a son, John.