GERTRUDE WRIGHT, aged 99
A proficient linguist, she survived the bombing of her home city, fled from the Red Army, became a translator and teacher and built a school in the Himalayas.
PAUL ALEXANDER, aged 78
After contracting polio as a small boy, he spent the rest of his life in an iron lung. He led a life of independence and became a leading lawyer in Texas.
JULIAN BAHULA, aged 85
An innovative jazz drummer, he became politically active and fled his native South Africa. In the UK, he raised awareness about Nelson Mandela’s imprisonment.
NICOLA TRAHAN, aged 97
A French schoolgirl who joined the SOE and was regularly parachuted into France, assisting the Resistance in fighting the Nazis. She received the Croix de Guerre.
TONY DAVIDSON, aged 90
The face of the Royal Navy, he was on recruitment posters for years. He was involved in a famous funeral and became a science fiction actor.
MILDRED KORNMAN, aged 97
Born into a Hollywood family she was in her first film at 9 months and became a child star, then a model, then a photographer. The last female silent movie star
OLGA FIKOTOVA, aged 91
A gold medal winning Olympic athlete from Czechoslovakia, she broke down Cold War barriers by falling in love with an American – to the fury of her country’s authorities.
JIM LAWRENCE, aged 90
The youngest Thames Barge captain, he became an expert sailmaker, working on well-known TV programmes. Also he was a local entertainer in his native Essex.
ARTHUR BOYT, aged 85
A civil servant from Watford, he became famous for living off roadkill and dead animals he found on the beach – once causing a national outcry at Christmas time
PEGGIE LYNCH, aged 97
Widowed with six young children, she became a Liverpool foster carer, helping hundreds of young babies. Her life was dedicated to helping young people.
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