Veterans off to remember D-Day
War veterans from the Black Country and Staffordshire today set off on an emotional return journey to Normandy to mark the 65th D-Day commemorations.
Normandy war veterans from Walsall and Cannock were joined by other military veterans as they embarked on a five day trip.
The 10 Normandy veterans on the coach were part of the Number 16 branch of the Normandy Veterans Association. The trip will see the war heroes join the Coleville Montgomery parade and then travel to Bayeux for a commemoration service. The trip has been organised by the Hednesford branch of the Staffordshire Regimental Association. Three veterans were picked up in Cannock before the coach travelled to the Excelsior Club in Bloxwich to pick up the remainder at 6am.
Sim Mayou, aged 85, from Pelsall, served in the Royal Navy Patrol Service during the Normandy landings.
He said: "I have been on a number of these trips before and they are so memorable. I don't know how many more of these trips will take place.
"The Normandy veterans are all getting on so we have to cherish these moments. It is an honour for us to pay our respects to our fallen comrades." Fred Harvey, aged 86, also from Pelsall, served in the Staffordshire Regiment during D-Day.
He added: "I never tire of returning to Normandy. It is always emotional but so worthwhile to pay our respects and remember our glorious fallen comrades. It is always an unforgettable trip and I am looking forward to returning."
Military personnel and political leaders will join veterans in Normandy this weekend to mark the date Allied forces invaded occupied France.
l One of Britain's most famous wartime aircraft, which helped sink the German battleship Bismarck, is to be returned to flying condition. A Fairey Swordfish Mk 1 torpedo bomber is to undergo a £1 million restoration at BAE Systems' Military Air Solutions facility at Brough in East Yorkshire.
