A WARWICK care home has one or two tales to tell after welcoming a wartime ambulance driver as one of its first residents.
Sybil Ryan, whose husband Mike commanded the 1st Battalion The Royal Warwickshire Regiment, moved into Leycester House on Edgehill Drive when it opened in September.
The 96-year-old settled in Warwick during 1969 while her husband retired to become the Regimental Secretary and a trustee of the Regimental Museum at St John’s House.
The former ambulance driver married Mike in 1941, just prior to when his army career took shape as he toured the world and worked in places including Hong Kong, Austria, Aden, Gibraltar and Northern Ireland.
Both had key roles to play during WWII also – Mike acted as a beachmaster for the invasion forces on Sword Beach during D-Day, and Sybil drove ambulance cars in London during the Blitz in 1940 while aged just 20.
In recognition of his efforts, Mike was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 1964.
The couple were good friends with Field Marshall Montgomery, one of the most decorated military leaders of WWII and Colonel of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment.
Sadly, Mike passed away in 1996 – though Sybil now enjoys her new home and said home is wherever you make it.
Home manager Julia Joy said: “We’re delighted to have Sybil with us.
“She was a prominent figure in the local community and we’re glad her home is still in the county she has had such strong connections with for so long.”
