Meet the Sussex man who was born on D-Day and takes his name from the invasion

Happy birthday to Dee-Day White who was born on D-Day and named after the famous military action.
Dee Day White is pictured here by Sid Saunders. SUS-180312-090714003Dee Day White is pictured here by Sid Saunders. SUS-180312-090714003
Dee Day White is pictured here by Sid Saunders. SUS-180312-090714003

Dee-Day White, who descends from an old Hastings fishing family, was born on 6 June 1944 and was given the name Dee-Day after his father visited several pubs on the way to registering his birth.

He says his father Bert repeatedly heard about “D-Day” on the wireless and it stuck in his mind.

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Mr White, 75, is now very proud of his unusual name, although it caused problems when he was younger.

He said he “hated it” as a child but “now I wear my name with pride”.

Mr White added: “If I ever went into a pub to have a drink and when people asked me my name if I told them the truth they would know I was under-age. If I was to talk to an older girl, I’d say I was 17, they’d say ‘you’re not, you’re only 15 years old’.”

Mr White said initially the registrar refused to accept the name, saying the operation was top secret.

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His father returned the next day with a copy of the Daily Mirror reporting the news of the D-Day landings on the French coast.

Mr White has even given his son the same name and he is known as ‘Young Dee-Day’

He said: “It’s been no problem to me and when my son was born 53 years ago I called him Dee-Day.”

In recent years Dee Day White played a key role in locating and restoring a former Hastings lifeboat which saw action at Dunkirk, rescuing stranded troops from the beach, when it was commandeered by the Navy.

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He is also heavily involved in the annual carnival celebrations which take place in the Old Town of Hastings each year.

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