Over the summer, we find ways to celebrate all across our services and love nothing more than celebrating the lives of our residents. One particular by the name of Charles Giles who turned 101 on the 30th of July is a WW2 veteran. He fought in the D-Day landings and the battle of Dieppe, in which he was awarded the Burma Star.
Recently Charles, a Halmer Court resident, went to visit The Historic Chatham Dockyard in Kent, along with Viv Thompson one of our amazing care assistants and Oliver Parker our Customer Relations Manager. The surprise trip organised by the Halmer Court staff team was in celebration of a milestone birthday. He fittingly went aboard the HMS Cavalier, a destroyer naval ship which launched in 1944. The former serviceman first joined the Royal Navy at just 17 years old, 84 years later getting back on board a destroyer was a nostalgic moment.
Normally Charles regales his fellow residents and staff with tales of his days as a seaman in the navigation room and has been doing so since he arrived at our Spalding-based care home in March. So, for him to commemorate his years of service for his birthday was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Oliver Parker had this to say about the trip “Taking Charles to Chatham was such an amazing experience. The smile on his face, when he realised where we were, was so heartwarming, only to be topped by when he saw the Destroyer. Throughout the day he was treated like a celebrity by everyone involved. All the staff from the dockyard came to say hello and were honoured to meet him. He even had members of the public asking for photos with him. The stories he could tell us and the detail about the ship that he could remember was incredible. Truly an honour to be able to do this for such an amazing man!”
Thank you to the incredibly thoughtful team at Glenholme Halmer Court who helped plan this trip for Charles. and to the welcoming staff at The Dockyards for their warm reception. If you enjoyed the story and would like to learn more about Halmer Court or any other sites in Lincolnshire and beyond. Click here to find out more about the care we provide. Alternatively, call us on 01775 662 222 or message us to learn more about our care or facilities.
