Decorated war hero (and Evertonian) George Bleasdale was treated to a private tour of the Hill Dickinson Stadium, thanks to another of Huyton’s heroes – Peter Reid. He personally welcomed George – along with his son Dave and granddaughter Frankie – to the new stadium for a behind the scenes tour.
Peter Reid said: “It was an honour and a privilege to be able to welcome George and his family to the stadium. George is a remarkable man and a proud Evertonian too. I am so glad that he has been able to see the new stadium and these amazing facilities for himself – quite the contrast to the ground he would have stood in back in the 1930’s when he watched Dixie Dean!”
George was just seventeen and a half when he enlisted in the Royal Navy. After just 10 weeks of training, in February 1943 George was deployed to his post in the Light Coastal Forces, serving on a naval Motor Torpedo Boat (MTB) which patrolled the Channel, protecting the Navy’s flotilla from the German’s heavily armed E-boats.
During D-Day, George and the crew of MTB 710 were tasked with escorting the American Rangers to their landing post at Omaha Beach, an event in military history infamously fraught with challenges and set-backs, and in which heavy casualties were inflicted on the Allied forces.
George continued his naval career until 1946, even after his boat collided with a mine leading to the loss of 17 lives. George was one of 14 survivors and one of only 6 of the crew to escape without any injuries.
On the 70th Anniversary of D-Day, in June 2014 the French President announced that the Legion of Honour – France’s highest order of merit – would be awarded to all British Veterans who fought for the liberation of France during the Second World War. George received his honour in 2019 at the grand age of 94.