Plan for mural of WW2 hero on council building

A council hopes to paint a mural on the side of a town hall in memory of the UK's oldest surviving Second World War veteran who died at the age of 110.

Donald Rose served as a sniper in the Queen's Royal Regiment and survived a bullet to the leg during the D-Day landings.

Erewash Borough Council has now submitted plans for the seven-metre-tall artwork at Ilkeston Town Hall in memory of Rose, who died last July.

A council report recommending approval said the mural would promote remembrance and celebrate Rose's "extraordinary life and service", while recognising the contribution of all members of the Armed Forces.

It said the artwork - on the side of the finance block on the western corner of the building - would enhance the street scene and create a focal point visible from multiple points along Wharncliffe Road.

Rose took part in the liberation of Bergen-Belsen concentration camp and served in the 7th Armoured Division - known as the Desert Rats - in North Africa. He also took part in the Allied invasion of Italy in 1943.

The veteran spent his final years at Canal Vue Care Home in Ilkeston and was awarded the Freedom of the Borough in June 2025 as well as France's highest honour, the Legion of Honour, for his wartime service.

After his death, his hearse was escorted by more than 100 motorcycles from Morrisons in Ilkeston to Ilkeston Town's football ground, where a service took place.

The planned mural would feature a black-and-white image of Rose in his youth alongside a colour portrait from his later years, with a battleship, aircraft, poppies, a lone soldier and a sunset, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Naomi Allsop, activity coordinator at Canal Vue Care Home, who was a close friend of Rose, said: "It's wonderful. I asked him what he would think about having a painting of him and he loved the idea.

"It's a shame he won't be able to see it. He never thought of himself as a hero."

Councillors are being asked to approve the proposal at a meeting on Wednesday.

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