LionHeart's oldest beneficiary dies, aged 103
A war veteran turned chartered surveyor - the oldest person to be supported by LionHeart - has died peacefully, just a few months after marking his 103rd birthday.
Remarkably, Harold Fenwick had still lived in his own home in Cyprus, where he had moved after retirement, with help from a live-in carer. In recent years, LionHeart and armed forces charity SSAFA had been supporting Harold after he lost his wife – and both charities were represented when friends and family gathered to mark his 103rd birthday in March.
Harold died peacefully earlier this week and an email from his children to LionHeart read: “Thanks to the assistance of LionHeart, dad was able to enjoy living at home until aged 103, enjoying his views across the valley and a simple but very content life. We appreciate all the support you were able to give him over the past few years.”
Harold was one of the 60,000 British troops involved in the D-Day landings on June 6th, 1944, still the largest seaborne invasion in history. Then aged 21, as he and his comrades progressed through France, he was hit by a mortar shell and had to be evacuated home with serious injuries, ending his time on the front line.
Despite those injuries, Harold considered himself one of the lucky ones, having lost his younger brother who was in the RAF. He would later go on to marry and have three children, and a long, enjoyable career in surveying which would see him become a Fellow of RICS.
Harold and his wife, Sheila, later retired to Cyprus, where Harold continued to live after Sheila sadly died, supported by LionHeart and SSAFA.
Cyprus-based SSAFA volunteer Russell Robinson, who helped organise Harold’s 103rd birthday party back at the end of March, said despite increasing frailty in recent years Harold was still able to use a mobility scooter to get around, and enjoyed popping to his local taverna for a bite to eat and a lively conversation about politics and current affairs.
At the time, he said: “LionHeart’s assistance and financial support has helped Harold remain in his house with the support of a live-in carer and he still wakes up every morning with the spirit he showed during the war.”
Throughout his long surveying career, Harold donated to LionHeart with his RICS subs each year, never imagining he might one day need support himself.
Paul Cunningham, the LionHeart support officer that looked after Harold’s case, said: “Harold had a fascinating life story and we were saddened to hear of his death. It was our privilege to have supported him in his final few years, as he had supported us earlier in his career. Our thoughts and condolences are with Harold's family, including his three children.”
Harold Fenwick FRICS, 1923-2026
