Last night, Bill Gladden celebrated his 96th birthday with fellow WWII veterans Harry Rawlins and Frank Pendergast, and a host of friends who all enjoyed a lovely Italian meal at Il Vesuvio in Bexley. A great time was had by all. Many thanks to Taxi Charity treasurer, Seb Philp, for organising the special get-together for Bill. #BillGladden #HarryRawlins #FrankPendergast #SebPhilp

D-Day veteran, Bill Gladden, supports the Taxi Charity through his lifelong love of painting Bill Gladden, 96, from Welling in Kent, travels to Normandy and Holland every year with the Taxi Charity, for the annual commemoration services to remember the comrades he lost. These trips are all provided without charge to the veterans, and to cover the costs, the charity is reliant on donations or grants. For many years, 96-year-old Bill has used his love of painting to raise funds

Every year since 1948, the Taxi Charity has been taking veterans to Worthing for the day to spend time with their friends and enjoy seaside favourites, fish and chips and ice cream. This year’s outing is only a week or so after many of the veterans spent a week in Normandy with the Taxi Charity for D-Day 75, remembering the friends they lost. Over 60 kind-hearted volunteer London cabbies will pick up nearly 200 veterans and their carers from their homes across the South East

On Thursday 7 March, on the last day of the Taxi Charity's planning trip for D-Day 75, veterans Frank Pendergast, Fred Glover and Bill Gladden visited Collège Saint-Louis in Cabourg for a Q&A. Frank, Fred and Bill answered questions from two classes and went down a storm with the teenagers. The previous day, the trio had attended a press conference and did TV interviews at the Pegasus Bridge Museum, enjoying a singsong between interviews. A family visiting the museum were del

Some very important visitors were taken to Hall Place & Gardens in the London Borough of Bexley by the Taxi Charity on 5 November, to mark Remembrance Day, the centenary of the 1918 armistice and the unveiling of a new statue and bench. Eight volunteer London cabbies brought the veterans from all across the south-east. On arrival, they were taken on a guided tour of the Hall Place 'Faces of the Great War' and the 'Code name – Santa Fe' exhibitions before leaving for the garde

WWII veteran Bill Gladden has always enjoyed painting and on several occasions has raised money for the Taxi Charity by donating his artworks. During our trip to Normandy in June of this year, Bill presented the Mayor of Ranville with a framed copy his watercolour, 'My Memory'. This was a particularly poignant moment because it was on the afternoon of D-Day when Bill and his regiment, the 6th Airborne Armoured Recce regiment, landed at Ranville in a glider. The story behind B

The Taxi Charity has organised a four day planning trip to Normandy ahead of its veterans' trip next year. From Monday 4 July 2016 to Thursday 7 July 2016, three members of the Taxi Charity committee, along with seven veterans, will be making a tour of the area to recce next June's trip, which will involve some 80 taxis and 130+ veterans. Dick Goodwin, Ian Parsons and Terry Ward (aka Barking Bill) have the pleasure of escorting veterans Geoff Pattinson, Fred Glover, Bill Glad