D-Day 80: 100 days to go

Today marks 100 days until we commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day on June 6, 2024.

One of the brave men involved in the liberation of Normandy was blind veteran Raymond, who is also celebrating an important century today, as he turns 100-years-old. Joining Raymond in having big birthdays this month were fellow D-Day blind veterans George, who turned 99, Ken, who hit 101, and John, who celebrated his 103rd birthday. These four brave men will feature in our commemorative activity in June, so look out for their full stories as we approach this landmark date.

Raymond was surrounded by family and friends at a party thrown by The Royal Naval Benevolent Trust, where he lives.

On D-Day he was waiting for orders, before eventually landing at Arromanches in Normandy. Arromanches was particularly difficult for the Allied forces to take as the Germans had embedded themselves in its natural defences. Despite the horror, Raymond remembers the camaraderie amongst the soldiers with particular fondness: "Everybody was your friend. All you had to look for to find a friend was the uniform. See that? Friend."

George was also thrown a lovely party at the home where he lives. As he's a big fan of HRH Queen Camilla, having met her a couple of times, his son acquired a lifesize cardboard cutout of Her Majesty! George says there will be dancing and frolicking at his next birthday. 

During the Second World War George was a gunner on a torpedo boat. He was 19-years-old. On the afternoon of 5 June, their skipper handed each member of the crew a pamphlet which contained a message from the Supreme Commander, General Eisenhower. It ended the weeks of secrecy and told them they were about to be part of the greatest invasion in the history of war. George’s crew were to escort and defend the troop ships heading for Omaha and Utah beaches.

At 4am the next day, George watched all the planes going over. He says the sea was covered, from horizon to horizon, with ships of all shapes and sizes. When the battleships Nelson and Warspite and the cruiser Belfast bombarded the German positions on the French coast, George says the noise was tremendous, "like all hell had been let loose."

George lost his sight later in life to macular degeneration. Community Support Worker Jan has provided George with talking books which he absolutely loves. His hearing is very poor after his time as a gunner but he is able to sit and listen to the books.

Ken lives at our Wellbeing Centre on the south coast in Rustington, where a celebration was held to honour this fantastic milestone. Our brilliant catering staff prepared him a very special cake, which by all accounts didn't stay around for long!

During the war Ken was a mechanic with the Royal Army Service Corps. He remembers how horrible it was, as the Germans were waiting for them on D-Day. He knows he was one of the lucky ones as so many around him died.

John enjoyed a lovely fish and chip lunch followed by dessert with his granddaughter on his birthday. As a special surprise the church bells in his home town rang out "happy birthday" to pay tribute to John's life and service.

On D-Day John landed on Gold Beach with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. Before the start of the invasion, they were held in sealed camps to maintain the secrecy. John says they landed safely, despite the beach being under fire from snipers and artillery from further back in the German lines.

John has written a book about his experiences of the war. He managed it during lockdown, to keep busy. One of our incredible volunteers supported him and made the process possible. He’s working on another book now!