Home   News   Article

Taxi Charity pays tribute to Lybster's Normandy veteran Robbie Larnach


By Alan Hendry



Robbie Larnach (left) in the Netherlands with the Taxi Charity for the Dutch liberation parade last year. The charity says Robbie will be greatly missed by its volunteer drivers and supporters.
Robbie Larnach (left) in the Netherlands with the Taxi Charity for the Dutch liberation parade last year. The charity says Robbie will be greatly missed by its volunteer drivers and supporters.

A charity that provides free trips for military veterans has paid tribute to Caithness war hero Robbie Larnach, who passed away last month at the age of 98.

Robbie, from Lybster, served with the 25th Field Regiment Royal Artillery. He landed on Sword beach on D-Day +15 on his 20th birthday and moved through France, Belgium and the Netherlands then into Germany before meeting up with the Russians at Wismar.

In recent years he and his son Noel made a number of trips to commemorative events on the continent with the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans.

Run by volunteer London taxi drivers, the charity has been supporting thousands of veterans since 1948. It arranges free trips to the Netherlands and France for acts of commemoration as well as days out to museums, concerts or social events around the UK.

In November 2022 Robbie, accompanied by Noel, took part in the Remembrance Sunday parade at the Cenotaph in London.

Dick Goodwin, vice-president of the charity, said: “The Taxi Charity was always delighted to take Robbie and his son Noel on our trips of commemoration and we are delighted that Noel has asked if he can join us in this, our 75th anniversary year, when we take veterans back to the Netherlands and Normandy.

"Our volunteer drivers and supporters will greatly miss Robbie and we send our sincere condolences to his family.”

Related story:

Noel said: “Dad will be sadly missed by all who knew him. He was the oldest resident of the village and the last surviving member of his generation. Last year Dad and I were delighted to travel to the Netherlands with the Taxi Charity and he so enjoyed being on a golf buggy with other World War II veterans as part of the Dutch liberation parade through Wageningen.

"We also went on their trip to the D-Day commemorations in Normandy, so that Dad could participate in the remembrance services for those who were not as fortunate as him and did not come home.

"Dad also went with the charity to Arnhem for the Market Garden commemoration in September and to the National Memorial Arboretum for the opening of the Desert Rats Memorial, and they arranged his travel in London to the Cenotaph in November.”

After the war in Europe ended, Robbie was sent home on three weeks' leave before boarding a ship for Malaysia. When the atomic bomb was dropped, the ship was diverted to Java where he spent a year and a half before being demobilised in 1947.

The Larnach footballers in 1952 – (from left) Stanley, David, Sandy, Bill, Eric, Robbie and Jim, with their father, club official Magnus.
The Larnach footballers in 1952 – (from left) Stanley, David, Sandy, Bill, Eric, Robbie and Jim, with their father, club official Magnus.

After the war Robbie worked in civil engineering and was involved in the Skye Bridge and Kylesku Bridge construction projects. He retired as a general foreman.

In the 1950s he played football with his six brothers Stanley, David, Sandy, Bill, Eric and Jim for Lybster Portland where his father Magnus was a club official.

Robbie passed away at Caithness General Hospital on Sunday, February 26. He was predeceased by his wife Elizabeth and survived by sons Noel and Magnus and daughter Valerie. Another daughter, June, passed away in 1985.

In an interview in 2018 for the online oral history project Wick Voices, Robbie reflected on his wartime experiences and said: “Anybody that says they weren't terrified landing in Normandy, they're telling lies... I always thought that I was one of the very, very, very lucky ones."

The Taxi Charity for Military Veterans received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2021.

Robbie Larnach displaying his medals, including the Légion d'Honneur on the right.
Robbie Larnach displaying his medals, including the Légion d'Honneur on the right.
This portrait of Robbie is believed to have been taken in Java in 1945 when he was 21.
This portrait of Robbie is believed to have been taken in Java in 1945 when he was 21.

Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.



This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies - Learn More