A 99-year-old World War II veteran who narrowly escaped death just days before VE Day has issued a stark warning to Vladimir Putin, urging world leaders to “learn from history” before it repeats itself.
Henry Rice, from Cranleigh in Surrey, served as a Royal Navy signalman during the Second World War and came within feet of being killed when a German torpedo missed his ship in the final weeks of the war. Now, nearly eight decades later, he says he is “frightened” by what he sees unfolding in the world today.
“I’m frightened. It could happen again,” he told reports. “We’ve had these wars, we’ve had thousands of people killed. Mr Putin lost millions of people [in WWII]. What does he want? Haven’t they learnt their lesson from this?”
Henry’s message is a sobering one. Though he considers himself lucky to have survived the war, he fears today’s younger generations, including his own grandchildren, may soon face the same horrors if global tensions continue to escalate.
“I won’t live long enough to see any future problem,” he said, “but my sons and grandsons, as with every other family in the world, are going to grow up and possibly, at the age of 18, 19, 20, get called up. And we’ll go through this once again.”
“Please, won’t somebody really learn? Somebody has got to learn. I can remember the war years. I don’t want them. They frighten me.”
Henry was just 17 when he volunteered to join the Royal Navy, and within six months, he was posted to the HMS Eastway. It was during lookout duty in the Bristol Channel that he spotted the wake of an enemy torpedo heading straight for them.
“The torpedo went under our bows and missed us by foot,” he recalled. “I was dozing merrily I suppose and never did report the plume of water a few feet away… That submarine was sunk by HMS Bulldog. The secret may have been that we were flat-bottomed.”
The crew remained on high alert as the ship made its way to Newcastle, arriving the day before VE Day. It was on board that Henry first heard the news of Germany’s surrender through the ship’s loudspeaker.
“I just carried on as normal,” he said. “There was no shore leave. I stood on the bridge in the docks and could only see a few people being happy. I never viewed the streets, people laughing, kissing and dancing.”
Soon after, Henry’s war journey continued. He was issued cold weather gear and deployed to Singapore, arriving just in time to hear of Japan’s surrender. He later returned to Portsmouth aboard HMS Formidable in October 1946.
For his wartime service, Henry was awarded the Legion of Honour by French President Emmanuel Macron in June 2023, France’s highest military decoration.
After the war, Henry built a life for himself in Guildford, joining the fire brigade where he served for more than 26 years. He had two sons, three grandsons and now counts five great-grandsons among his growing family.
“I went on to have a fantastic life. The Royal Navy made me a man. I’m proud of myself and proud of the Royal Navy,” he said. “I’m not a hero. I just did the job, just like the rest of the crew. I was lucky, some of the guys I knew were torpedoed.”
Despite his gratitude, Henry’s voice carries a clear warning: the lessons of war must not be forgotten.
“I can’t see it not happening… That’s what frightens me.”
