Buckingham Palace has welcomed four World War II veterans who took part in D-Day, to share their memories with the monarchs, King Charles and Queen Camilla. The veterans recounted their personal experiences from the biggest military naval, air and land operation ever attempted 80 years ago. 100-year-old Arthur Oborne, who was shot during the operations, brought some of his belongings to show the royal couple. His friend, Walter, had rescued him, but was unfortunately killed the following day. Oborne carried Walter’s dog tags since then as a keepsake and evidence of the perilous times the soldiers faced.
Jim Miller, who had recently received a birthday card from the King and Queen for turning 100 years old, told the royal couple that he strongly believes in keeping alive the memories of D-Day and hopes that younger generations will be inspired to learn about it. Bernard Morgan, the youngest RAF sergeant to land on Gold Beach, shared some of his recollections, including how the Army collected the bodies of drowned soldiers. He also showed off his football boots which he wore during his time in Normandy, revealing that he played up to 12 games of football during the operations.
Meanwhile, John Dennett, a Navy gunner from Wallesey, Merseyside, told King Charles how grateful he was to be alive after so many young men lost their lives fighting during the war. He revealed that he was lucky to have written love letters to his wife, Joyce, throughout the war and later married her. King George VI’s diary extract of the events of 6 June 1944 was read by King Charles in return.
The visit was documented by the BBC for a programme airing on 5 June, called D-Day 80: Tribute to The Fallen, to honour and commemorate the sacrifices made during D-Day. The battle was fought by combined allied forces from the UK, the US, Canada, and France against German forces on the coast of northern France, leading to casualties on both sides
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