Normandy veterans share ‘bit of living history’ ahead of D-Day anniversary

D-Day 80th anniversary

A group of Second World War veterans have come together to share a “bit of living history” ahead of the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings.

Ken Hay, Alec Penstone, Stan Ford, Henry Rice, Donald Howkins, Richard Aldred, Gilbert Clarke, John Dennett and Mervyn Kersh, aged between 98 and 103, gathered at the Union Jack Club, near Waterloo, on Friday.

The nine men, who travelled from across the UK, posed for a group photograph, joked and recalled stories about the D-Day and Normandy landings.

Event organisers said it is likely to be the last time they are seen together outside the official D-Day commemorations taking place in Portsmouth and Normandy in June.

Mr Rice, 98, of Cranleigh, Surrey, a former signalman who arrived off Juno Beach five days after D-Day, told the PA news agency: “I managed to hold back a few tears, to be honest with you… I put on an act of mouth and trousers and laughed, but I could quietly go and sit in the corner for 10 minutes.”

General Lord Richard Dannatt, a former head of the British Army, addressing the gathering, said: “It’s all about the veterans, bon voyage to them!

“Let’s take the opportunity now to get to know them, to meet them, to hear their stories, to write about their stories, to film their stories, to record their stories so that this bit of living history is captured.”

The D-Day operation of June 6 1944 brought together the land, air and sea forces of the allied forces in what became known as the largest amphibious invasion in military history.

It is regarded as a success and began the process of ending the war in Europe.

Earlier on Friday, pupils aged between 10 and 14 from three schools in London were invited to ask three of the veterans about their experiences.

Mr Aldred, 99, who served as a tank driver and landed on Gold Beach in Normandy the day after D-Day spoke to the children about the camaraderie within his regiment.

He said: “You all stick together like glue and the main thing is ‘how soon can I have a cup of tea and a bully beef sandwich?’”

Mr Aldred recalled hearing a “god awful thump” when the gearbox of his tank was hit by enemy fire in France.

Mr Ford, 98, who served on HMS Fratton, an escort ship that accompanied vessels taking men and supplies across the Channel, recalled seeing thousands of ships setting sail on D-Day from his station in Selsey Bill on the south coast of England.

He said: “Battleships, cruisers, destroyers, right down to the small little minesweepers.

“As a 19-year-old, I said to myself ‘we’re not going to lose this war’, which we didn’t.”

Mr Ford told the pupils there were “humorous times” that helped his regiment get through the war.

Chuckling, he said: “There was a time when the refrigeration system broke down so we were told to eat as much meat as we could.

“I remember eating a whole shoulder of lamb to myself!”

Particularly with the age of the veterans and the age of our children, it is likely they are the last generation that will get to meet veterans in person

Headteacher Paul Thomas

When asked what he hoped his pupils will take away from Friday’s event, Rob Ashton, a year six teacher at Norfolk House school in Muswell Hill, said: “They will remember that they’ve had the experience of meeting somebody who was there and they’ll tell their future generations.

“They’ll go back to school today telling other children ‘wow, I’ve met a veteran who was there at the war at the D-Day landing.’”

Of the event’s importance, Paul Thomas, headteacher at Parkwood Primary School in Finsbury Park said: “Particularly with the age of the veterans and the age of our children, it is likely they are the last generation that will get to meet veterans in person.”

The event was organised jointly by The Normandy Memorial Trust and The Spirit of Normandy Trust.

Register now for one of the Evening Standard’s newsletters. From a daily news briefing to Homes & Property insights, plus lifestyle, going out, offers and more. For the best stories in your inbox, click here.