WWII veteran Albert Holmshaw dies, aged 96

Jan 15

WWII veteran Albert Holmshaw dies, aged 96

The Taxi Charity for Military Veterans was saddened to hear of the death of WWII veteran Albert (Bert) Holmshaw on Monday 11 January 2021. During WWII, Bert was in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) attached to the 7th Field Regiment Royal Artillery. He saw action in North West Europe and was part of the main assault division for Sword Beach on D-Day, for which he was awarded the Legion of Honour, France’s highest order of merit. Born in Sheffield in 1924, B

Chairman's Blog: Veterans' Trip to Normandy for D-Day 75

Jun 25, 2019

Chairman's Blog: Veterans' Trip to Normandy for D-Day 75

I have no idea how my predecessors felt when they began their time as chairman of this wonderful charity. However, I doubt the momentous backdrop which accompanied my start in the hot seat will ever be equalled. Just thirteen days after taking up my new position, I, together with our group arrived in Normandy to begin our week-long trip to participate in the 75th anniversary commemorations of the D-Day landings (3 - 8 June 2019) . What an extraordinarily privileged position I

75th Anniversary D-Day, The Cab Driver

"Thank you both so much for your support and care during our amazing trip to Normandy" - Marie Scott

Jun 10, 2019

"Thank you both so much for your support and care during our amazing trip to Normandy" - Marie Scott

Dear Ian & Anne Thank you both so much for your support and care during our amazing trip to Normandy. It is an experience I shall never forget and only made possible by the Taxi Charity, without whom I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to savour the delights of “celebrity" status!! Ian, now wearing your “Chairman's” hat, would you please convey to your Committee my grateful thanks for giving me the privilege of attending all these wonderful events. Anne - hope everything goes

Photos from the last night of our veterans trip to Normandy

D-Day 75th anniversary: London veterans look back, onlondon.co.uk

Jun 7, 2019

D-Day 75th anniversary: London veterans look back, onlondon.co.uk

A taxi drivers' charity has maintained a long tradition of marking the push to Normandy by JOSHUA NEICHO “I did 50 years as a black cab driver,” says 93-year-old Richard Forrester, in front of a line of cabbies parked up. “They don’t seem to have changed much. They dress different. They’re younger. They still have a better outlook on life than most people.” We’re not standing by a West End taxi rank or at an anti-Uber go slow protest. We’re in the loading area for a ferry at

Taxi Charity's D-Day 75 Normandy Itinerary

Jun 3, 2019

Taxi Charity's D-Day 75 Normandy Itinerary

Thirty of the Taxi Charity's volunteer London cabbies will be escorting 40 veterans and their carers to Normandy for the 75th anniversary commemorations of D-Day from 3 - 8 June. Here is their itinerary... Monday 3 June 2019 12:30 Meet and registration at Brittany Ferries vehicle holding area 14:45 Depart Portsmouth Brittany Ferries 21:30 Arrive Ouistreham - to be met by six-man motorcycle escort 22:30 Arrival at hotels in Caen and Benouville Tuesday 4 June 2019 10:45 Arrive

Taxi Charity delighted to be mentioned in Guardian article about D-Day 75th anniversary commemoratio

Apr 28, 2019

Taxi Charity delighted to be mentioned in Guardian article about D-Day 75th anniversary commemoratio

Caroline Davies has written a great article for The Guardian about the 75th anniversary commemorations of the D-Day landings. We are delighted to have been included in the section about Pegasus Bridge: This year, the Taxi Charity is working with the Royal British Legion who have hired the Boudicca from Fred Olsen Lines to transport a number of veterans and their carers to Normandy. Our volunteer cab drivers will be escorting the veterans to and from the ship; and to individua

The Taxi Charity prepares for the 75th anniversary of D-Day, Ouest France

Our Sponsors: The Netherlands, Normandy, Worthing and Portsmouth Trips 2018

Jun 21, 2018

Our Sponsors: The Netherlands, Normandy, Worthing and Portsmouth Trips 2018

We thank each and every one of our sponsors for their support of our trips this year, including The Netherlands, Normandy, Worthing and Portsmouth. My Taxi Blain Southern Contemporary Art Brompton's Musical Instrument Auctioneers Cab:App CabVision Charles Beddington Old Master Pictures Dads Defending Daughters The Fine Art Fund Humphrey Butler Fine Jewellery Josh Wood Colour Kenneth Warren & Son Violins, Chicago, USA London Cab Drivers' Club London Taxi PR Omnia Art Ltd Peter

Photo Gallery: Taxi Charity veterans trip to Normandy

Jun 10, 2018

Photo Gallery: Taxi Charity veterans trip to Normandy

On 4 - 8 June 2018, volunteer cabbies from the Taxi Charity escorted 25 WWII veterans on a trip to Normandy. Their busy itinerary was as follows: Monday 4 June 2018 21:30 Arrival at the Brittany Ferries terminal in Ouistreham Tuesday 5 June 2018 11:00 Ceremony at Memorial Pegasus 12:30 Lunch at Restaurant Les 3 Planeurs (The 3 Gliders), just across the Pegasus Bridge 14:00 Shuttle back to the Memorial Pegasus for the 14:30 ceremony with 300 schoolchildren 24:00 Back to th

Press Release: Veterans to visit Normandy to remember the most memorable wartime operation ever plan

May 31, 2018

Press Release: Veterans to visit Normandy to remember the most memorable wartime operation ever plan

The 6th June 1944 is fixed in the memory of WWII veterans as the date of one of the most important wartime operations ever planned and executed. In June this year, twenty-five veterans will be visiting Normandy, courtesy of the Taxi Charity, to remember the part they played and the friends and comrades they lost seventy-four years ago. In the week after their appearance on Britain’s Got Talent supporting The D-Day Darlings on 28 May, an amazing group of nonagenarians will be

'My Memory' - a watercolour by war veteran, Bill Gladden

Nov 27, 2017

'My Memory' - a watercolour by war veteran, Bill Gladden

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 Soldiers’ Charity supports ‘Back To The Beaches’ with the Taxi Charity

Sep 25, 2017

The Soldiers’ Charity supports ‘Back To The Beaches’ with the Taxi Charity

The Taxi Charity For Military Veterans, formally known as The London Taxi Benevolent Association For War Disabled (LTBAFWD), was founded on the 17th February 1948 in London. The Taxi Charity are a group of London taxi drivers who volunteer their services to take veterans on a range of trips. They span from day trips around Britain to historical spots throughout Europe such as: Normandy, Dunkirk, and Wageningen, Netherlands. In May this year, ABF The Soldiers’ Charity provided

Jun 12, 2017

"I am just writing to say a big thank you for helping and looking after all our WWII veterans&

Dear all, I am just writing to say a big thank you for helping and looking after all our WWII veterans, especially the lads who went to Normandy for D Day. I was at Pegasus Bridge on the 5 June and at Merville on the 7 June and saw all the lads arrive - it was just so amazing to see them and meet some of them. Please keep up the good work! All the best to you and the boys! Regards and many thanks, Roger Micklethwaite #RogerMicklethwaite #Normandy #PegasusBridge #Merville

Our Sponsors: Back To The Beaches 2017

Jun 5, 2017

Our Sponsors: Back To The Beaches 2017

We thank each and every one of our sponsors for their support of our Back To The Beaches trip to Normandy in June 2017. Ascott Cab Co. Ltd. Atkins Grant & Lang, gunmakers Beare Violins Ltd Charles Beare Esq OBE BlainSouthern, contemporary art gallery Bromptons Auctioneers, fine & rare instruments cab:app Cabvision Charles Beddington Ltd, Old Master Paintings Charles Russell Speechlys LLC Andrew Collins, Esq. Dads Defending Daughters The Fine Art Group, Mayfair Fuller's Brewe

A Poem: The Old Soldier

Jun 3, 2017

A Poem: The Old Soldier

All the work over the last year for our Back To The Beaches trip now seems worthwhile as we have 97 WWII veterans ready to depart in 87 London taxis to Normandy for five days. As well as a full itinerary, six of the veterans will be officially presented with the Légion d'Honneur. We thought now would be an appropriate time to post a poem. This was given to Taxi Charity vice president Dick Goodwin some years ago by a wonderful veteran, Major Peter Watson MC (above). Sadly Pete

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For Military Veterans