Family pays tribute to Second World War soldier Dennis Donnini on the 75th anniversary of his death
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The death of Fusilier Dennis Donnini VC was marked with a get together at his memorial garden on Crawlaw Road, Easington Colliery, on Saturday, January 18, where his family members joined many others to remember him.
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Hide AdHe was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross and, at 19, was the youngest soldier in the Second World War to receive it.
His eldest niece Ines Turner, 86, remembers being told about the honour.
She said: “When he was awarded the VC, I was actually at school in Wolsingham and I was sent for by the head nun.
“She told me but quite honestly I was only 10 or 11 and I didn’t quite understand.
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Hide Ad“I came home and my mother put me in the picture and told me exactly why he’d been given this award. We’re so proud.
“This day means a lot to me because he was my mother’s youngest brother and she thought the world of him.
“He was a holy terror. When he was little, he was always up to something but he was a very lovable person.”
Anthony Putsman, 67, one of Dennis’s nephews said: “Although my mother often talked about Dennis we never really knew an awful lot.
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Hide Ad“As a family now, we meet up regularly to talk about the future and we’re always learning an awful lot about his story and the amount of interest in him.
“In the last ten years, there has been a growing interest in Dennis.”
In Easington, his family keep his memory alive. A portrait of him hangs in a fish and chip shop that stands on the site of his parents’ business and his memorial remains a meeting point.