Prince William attends memorial service for hero veteran Major Mike Sadler who ... trends now
The Prince of Wales today attended a private memorial service for the last surviving member of the original wartime SAS.
Major Mike Sadler, whose death aged 103 was announced in January, was recruited by David Stirling, the founder of the British Army's elite Special Air Service regiment.
He initially took part in night-time raids against Axis airfields in Libya before being parachuted into Nazi-occupied France after the D-Day Normandy landings in 1944.
Major Sadler was awarded the Military Cross for his actions in France, later served in MI6 and even had a piece of the Antarctic named after him.
In 2018, he was further recognised with France's highest honour - the Legion d'honneur.
Prince William was among guests at Major Sadler's memorial service at Hereford Cathedral today.
It comes a day after he made his first public appearance since the Princess of Wales's cancer announcement last month.
The Prince of Wales, 41, gave a helping hand loading food and cooking in the kitchen at food distribution charity Surplus to Supper in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey.
The Prince of Wales today attended a private memorial service for the last surviving member of the original wartime SAS
Major Mike Sadler was recruited by David Stirling, the founder of the British Army's elite Special Air Service regiment, which was formed in 1941
Major Sadler left school in 1937 to work on a farm in Southern Rhodesia, which is now Zimbabwe.
After war broke out in 1939, Major Sadler joined the Rhodesian Army artillery unit.
By 1941 he had been made a sergeant but ended up being demoted when he refused a commanding officer's order for his men to wear boots instead of sand shoes when sleeping.
He then met a member of the Long Range Desert Group, a reconnaissance unit based in the North African desert.
The soldier persuaded him to join and quickly took up the role of navigator. Soon, he was in charge of navigation for both the LRDG and SAS.
In December 1941, Major Sadler was part of the first successful SAS raid - on Wadi Tamet airfield - where a team of six men ruined 24 aircraft and a fuel dump.
This was led by Lieutenant Blair 'Paddy' Mayne, a former Irish international rugby star who would become one of Britain's most decorated soldiers.
Major Sadler fought with the SAS in Italy and France following his time in the desert war, before setting up the SAS intelligence unit.
On August 7, 1944, Major Sadler was dropped by parachute into the Loire as part of Operation Houndsworth.
The aim was to reach SAS squadrons behind the lines and help destroy fuel depots, encourage local resistance, and prevent Panzer divisions heading north.
By this time Hitler had given instructions for any captured parachutists to be executed.
