D-Day hero, 97, chokes to death on full English breakfast in veterans' care home

Fredrick Temple, who was one of the last survivors of the Allied Forces' Normandy beach landings in 1944, died in a luxury later life care home for veterans in Southsea, Portsmouth

A D-Day hero tragically died after choking on his full English breakfast at a care home for veterans, an inquest was told.

Frederick Temple, who spent his last years in an ex-forces residential home in Portsmouth, passed away at the age of 97 while tucking into one of his favourite meals. Before he died in August 2023, the former Royal Marine Frederick was celebrated as one of the last survivors of the Allied Forces' Normandy beach landings in 1944. It is estimated that only about 100 of those involved in the historic operation are still alive today.

The inquest into Mr Temple's death revealed that in his later life, he had mentally "regressed" to his time in service, often asking care home staff to "see the captain of the ship". The hearing was told that the veteran, who dedicated 22 years to serving his nation, epitomised the "typical military man", being both "determined" and "frustratingly stubborn."

The day before he died, Frederick experienced a similar choking incident, and a coroner has now determined that dementia likely played a role in the fatal event. Frederick was born in Glasgow in 1925, the Portsmouth Coroners Court in Hampshire heard.

At just 16, he left home to join the Marine Cadets and waited until he was old enough to enlist properly. The veteran rose to the rank of Coxwain, serving aboard the SS Empire Cutlass, where he played a crucial part in three missions transporting British troops to Sword Beach on D-Day, reports the Daily Record. His service spanned from 1943 to 1966, during which he was a member of the Royal Marines 41, 42, 43, and 45 Commando.

Christopher Wilkinson, the Senior Coroner for Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton, revealed at the inquest today that Frederick passed on August 1 last year at the Admiral Jellicoe House in Southsea, Portsmouth, a place offering premium care for old Royal Navy and Royal Marine heroes and their partners. David Harvey, Frederick's son, mentioned dad settled into the posh home in summer 2022. He described his father as a man who "was a very proud and stubborn man who did not like to depend on anyone, or ask for any help."

Care home manager Jade Delaney testified at the inquest that Mr Temple was diagnosed with dementia, noting: "Sometimes, Fred would demand to see the captain of the ship at which point we would go along with his reality."

The manager claimed that "instantly he relaxed" after introducing herself to Frederick as "Captain Delaney". She continued: "He said 'good for you', I assume because I was a female. We would talk through some of the issues he was having. Somebody accepting his reality really helped Fred to feel like he was being listened to and he was being heard."

Ms Delaney also recounted how Mr Temple "enjoyed" a hearty full English brekkie every morning, which they "tried not to take that away from him". She informed the inquest that on July 31 last year, Frederick choked on a "small piece of sausage" from his breakfast but he managed to expel it with help from the nurses. A staff member at the care home fed Mr Temple his breakfast around 9.30am the following day. After consuming about seven mouthfuls of food and taking three sips of tea, he began "coughing and gasping."

Tragically, Mr Temple choked to death in an incident that unfolded "swiftly", according to the coroner. The moment he started choking, the situation became "unrecoverable". His granddaughter tearfully stated during the hearing that he was "supposed to reach 100". The coroner remarked: "He probably had a relatively high tolerance to pain, he liked to go on."

Mr Wilkinson concluded that the pensioner's dementia contributed to the choking incident, ruling it an accidental death. "It does strike me that the level of care that he was receiving at the care home was good," he said. "He had been appropriately and safely assessed by the care home team, he had been assessed by the speech and language therapy team." Mr Wilkinson noted that Mr Temple's dementia symptoms had worsened in the months leading up to his death. "I don't think it would have been abundantly obvious that anything significant had changed," he added.

The coroner stated that Mr Temple was unable to process and swallow his food on August 31, which is related to his dementia. "Sadly, therefore, he died as a result of that," he continued. "As I have said, it's more likely than not that dementia has played a part here but I cannot say the extent to which it was."

The coroner said: "It was an accident, it wasn't expected, it wasn't intentional, but it sits against the background of a recognised contribution of dementia. I do believe, on balance, objectively that he was receiving the right care, and the right care for his stage in life." Mr Wilkinson praised the care home staff and noted that Mr Temple had likely "regressed" to his time in the military, which was a significant part of his life.