He travelled thousands of miles to serve his country.
And now Ray Ellis could be Yorkshire’s last American World War Two veteran.
A number of American GIs settled in the UK after serving in Europe during the war – and 88-year-old Ray could be one of the last remaining few.
Ray, who lives at Helme Hall care home, Meltham, was born in 1924 in the small town of Sumner, Iowa, 160 miles from the state capital, Des Moines.
After his conscription in 1943, Ray was transported to Liverpool before he saw active service in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany.
Mr Ellis rose to sergeant in the 84th Division Railsplitters before he was demobbed in 1947.
He was put in charge of a prisoner of war camp in Rheims during the final months of the war and the years after it.
That came just a few months after he had married his Hull girlfriend Eleanor. The couple travelled to and from the USA before settling in Hessle, near Hull, around 1960.
Ray worked as a fitter and inspector at British Aerospace in Brough before retiring at 65.
He lived independently in Hessle until 2007, when he moved to Helme Hall to be nearer his son, Phillip, who lives in Highburton.
Phillip Ellis said: “Many Americans who settle in the UK find many aspects of Blighty frustrating, for example the bad weather, bad food and high fuel prices.
“But Ray, whose family emigrated to the USA from Sussex in the 1850s, doesn’t miss that much about the old country.”
His father said: “It’s such a long time ago; I can’t really remember.”
It isn’t known how many US World War Two veterans still live in the UK – but the numbers are very small.
Phillip, who was born in Chicago, said: “In Yorkshire, I’m sure you could count them on one hand. There can’t be that many in England.”
Phillip has himself been in an American uniform.
But it was for the silver screen.
He was one of a number of Americans living in Britain who secured small parts in the 1979 war drama, Yanks, starring Richard Gere.
The period drama film was set during World War II in Northern England and parts of it were shot in the Marsden area.
The film was directed by John Schlesinger and starred Gere, Vanessa Redgrave, William Devane, Lisa Eichhorn and Tony Melody.
The film focuses on the effects American culture had on rural Northern England during the build up to Operation Overlord in 1944.
Philip added: “I’d be really interested to know if there are any others like dad living in Britain.”
