How Vicky McClure’s D-Day veteran grandfather also served in the line of duty: War hero, 97, who narrowly escaped death when his landing craft was hit by enemy fire recalls historic day

Actress Vicky McClure’s grandfather has detailed how he narrowly escaped death when his landing craft was hit by enemy fire during the invasion of Normandy. 

Ralph McClure, 97, was just 17 when he signed up to serve in the Royal Navy and was deployed as a signaler on a landing raft tank on that historic day. 

Memorials and celebrations will be taking place this week in France and the UK to mark the 80th anniversary, with world leader such as President Biden and the King to attend. 

Mr McClure’s vessel took armoured vehicles right up onto the beaches, where he described having to jump down and hide when they came under fire from snipers. 

‘To me it was a job that was to be done  and you did it to your best ability,’ he told the BBC.

Vicki McClure, who is known for playing the all-action heroine in line of duty, gushed about her respect for her grandfather and the importance of remembering that day

The star, 41, who grew up in Nottingham and went to Fernwood Comprehensive School, has said that attending pricey drama schools and going to auditions isn’t possible for many aspiring stars

He continued: ‘I was going down and I could hear ‘Ping! Ping! Ping!’ and I thought ‘that must be snipers.’

‘They had German snipers in the houses and I just dropped and threw myself into where the tanks had been where they couldn’t get you.

‘These are the bits of the landing you don’t forget.’

Vicki McClure, who is known for playing the all-action heroine in line of duty, gushed about her respect for her grandfather and the importance of remembering that day. 

‘It is so important to keep this history really close and make sure the kids know about it,’ she said.

‘It’s so important that people like my grandad are able to recall it and I’m sure there are many veterans who felt unable or didn’t want to do that.

She said that ‘nine times out of 10’ she wouldn’t get the part when she did audition, meaning the whole process was not ‘accessible’ to a certain demographic

She was forced to turn down a place at the prestigious Italia Conti drama school as a teenager as she couldn’t afford to attend but got her break years after in This Is England ’88 (pictured)

‘So any kind of information we can have that comes in about that history is important.’

She added that he had only started talking about his experiences in the war recently. 

Ms McClure has recently attacked the acting industry as having ‘gone backwards’ in terms of opportunities for working class actors who are being priced out of the industry.

The  star, 41, who grew up in Nottingham and went to Fernwood Comprehensive School, has said that attending pricey drama schools and going to auditions isn’t possible for many aspiring stars.

Just one in 12 people working in film, TV and radio are from lower socio-economic backgrounds, with 60 per cent coming from middle or upper class backgrounds. 

She played Detective Inspector Kate Fleming in the Jed Mercurio-written BBC series that was hugely popular with viewers, but ended in 2021.