My friend Louis Pengelly-Phillips, who has died aged 89, was a sergeant in 48 Royal Marines Commando from 1943 to 1951. His second world war service history was extraordinary, and ranged from guarding Winston Churchill in Canada, via the D-day landings, to the liberation of Burma. In later years he was a much-loved resident for 34 years at the Royal Star & Garter Homes for ex-military service personnel, where I got to know him.
Louis grew up in Somerset and enlisted with the Royal Marines in 1943, at the age of 17. He was selected to join a unit protecting Churchill and the D-day plans during the Quebec Conference in Canada. On board the Queen Mary, Louis was assigned to guard Churchill, for whom he had to present arms or "I would have been in trouble", even when Churchill was in his pyjamas. He was part of the guard who protected Stalin and Roosevelt and shook hands with both men.
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