D-Day 80
The Last Veterans
To coincide with the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, a team from ITV Meridian tracked down and interviewed more than 80 survivors of that operation. Here is a living archive of memories from Normandy and wartime veterans recorded between June 2023 and May 2024.
Ken Cooke
The Green Howards
Just 18 when he waded ashore on D-Day, Mr Cooke was an infantryman with 7th Battalion The Green Howards which crossed the English Channel from Southampton
Read Ken's Story
Marie Scott
Women's Royal Naval Service
Listening to and collating the Operation Overlord messages on D-Day, Marie Scott was a switchboard operator in the tunnels of Fort Southwick in Hampshire.
Read Marie's Story
Roy Hayward
Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry
Landing after dark on the evening of D-Day on Gold Beach as a reserve tank crewman, Mr Hayward from the Isle of Wight was in an ammunition lorry following a line of tanks as it moved forwards.
Read Roy 's Story
John Roberts
Royal Navy
Part of the Naval offensive on D-Day designed to counter German artillery, Mr Roberts was a sub-lieutenant aboard the destroyer HMS Serapis. It escorted a convoy across the Channel that included minesweepers tasked with clearing the way to Sword Beach.
Read John 's Story
Betty Withers
Women's Royal Naval Service
A cook stationed on the South coast in the build-up to the invasion, Mrs Withers was at Hayling Island where a significant part of the amphibious training for D-Day took place.
Read Betty's Story
Les Budding
Royal Marines
Manning an Oerlikon anti-aircraft gun on a Landing Craft Flak on D-Day, Mr Budding had been based in Portsmouth for weeks leading up to the invasion and saw the massive build up of ships there.
Read Les's StoryOur Veterans
