A SECOND World War veteran who fell in his Derby flat and spent two-and-a-half days on the floor has responded to a councillor's comments – insisting he knows how important his alarm is.
Harold Lee, 99, spoke after the fall in his sheltered flat in Boyer Street, only weeks after his free daily intercom welfare checks were withdrawn.
Mr Lee, a veteran of the North Africa campaign against Rommel, was receiving the check until April 1.
But this was stopped after he refused to start paying a 42p daily charge, claiming it was never part of the agreement when he moved in and he did not like the way it had been "thrust upon him".
Mr Lee, who was found on the floor by his grandson, had been carrying his alarm pendant but this was flung across the room as he fell.
Derwent Living, which runs the sheltered housing complex, has said the removal of the intercom checks was prompted by cuts in the cash it got from the council.
City council leader Paul Bayliss said people needed to have their council-funded alarm pendant, which provides a 24/7 alarm system, either worn around their neck or as a wristband so they are able to summon help.
Mr Lee has now responded that, on the day when he fell, he had earlier taken the pendant off to show two people from Derwent Living he had it. He added that he was "quite aware" it was important to wear the pendant.
But he said: "I don't sleep with it on because I could move and press it for no reason at all. I put it in a place where, when I get out of bed, it's there in front of me so I remember to put it on."
The veteran added that he would also take it off to have a wash and shave as, otherwise, it would get in the way. Mr Bayliss said yesterday: "If the man was wearing the pendant it wouldn't have been a story."
Visitors to the Derby Telegraph website have expressed their anger at Mr Bayliss. He had said that, if the call system had been in place, the check had been made, and Mr Lee had fallen 30 seconds later, he would still have been in trouble.
He added: "The solution is to make sure the pendant is worn."
One visitor, going under the handle TKNO8, said: "He's 99, for God's sake, Bayliss! Do you never forget anything? I think an apology is in order here."
Mr Lee's son, Jules, had already asked how, at the age of 99, someone could be expected to always remember to wear a pendant.
The authority expressed its "deep regret" for what happened to Mr Lee and said it was forced by the "financial climate" to focus its spending on services which it must provide by law. It has vowed to "reassess" Mr Lee's needs.
