One of the last surviving D-Day veterans welled up when he returned to the Normandy beach where he landed 80 years ago.
Just over 30 heroes made the trip for the landmark commemoration this year – compared to more than 200 in 2019.
One of the veterans, 99-year-old Donald Jones, was emotional on his return to Sword Beach, in Normandy, France.
More than 150,000 British, Canadian and American troops landed in a combined naval, air and ground assault on Nazi-occupied France on June 6, 1944.
Mr Jones joined applied for the Royal Navy in 1942 when he was 17 years old and in 1943 he was sent to train at H.M.S Raleigh, according to the Mold & District Civil Society.
The next year, a ship he was posted on landed on Sword Beach at around 8am on D-Day – it was one of five landing points where thousands of troops arrived.
Today, he returned with other veterans and the Royal British Legion to mark the 80-year anniversary of that historical day.
Mr Jones was pictured holding a tissue to his face as he reflected on the occasion, along with other veterans.
Donald Jones was pictured holding a tissue to his face as he reflected on the occasion, along with other veterans
The veterans joined by the British Legion commemorating 80 years since the D-Day landing on Thursday
Mr Jones (pictured) joined applied for the Royal Navy in 1942 when he was 17 years old
In 1943 Mr Jones (pictured) was sent to train at H.M.S Raleigh, according to the Mold & District Civil Society
Sergeant Ben Beale, Corporal Aaron Stone and Corporal Paul Squires also joined them on the beach.
Veteran Jack Mortimer recalled: ‘If you can imagine from as far as you can see there to as far as you can see there every maybe quarter of a mile, there was a landing craft landing … tanks, vehicles, anything.’
Another veteran, John Life, also said: ‘I was never really on the beach as such because I was in a half track manning a gun … until we got off the beach, we went in firing, enough to make the Germans get a bit frightened and we managed to get them going backwards … then we came back in, landed and then got them off the beach altogether then.’
However the number of those who travelled to Normandy has decreased due to many now being too old to make the journey.
Pictured: Sergeant Ben Beale, with veterans Jack Mortimer, John Life, Corporal Aaron Stone, veteran Donald Jones, Corporal Paul Squires, and veteran Peter Newton
Donald Jones was emotional on his return to Sword Beach, in Normandy, France
Mr Jones returned with other veterans and the Royal British Legion to mark the 80-year anniversary of that historical day
Mr Jones pictured on the second row, fourth right, at H.M.S Raleigh
Just over 30 veterans made the trip via ferry this year – compared to more than 200 in 2019.
Victor Walker, 98, is among a number of veterans unable to travel to France this year as he told The Telegraph: ‘Age has finally caught up with me.’
Mr Walker worked on board a destroyer which transported troops to the shores of France.
He travelled to Normandy for the 65th, 70th and 75th commemorations, but his declining health meant he could not make the trip for this anniversary.
D-Day veteran Albert Keir (right), 98, from Bakewell, Derbyshire, watches from the deck of the Brittany Ferries ship Mont St Michel as it sails out of Portsmouth Harbour in the UK to Ouistreham, in Caen, France
Normandy veteran Jimmy Justice waves from the deck of the Brittany Ferries ship Mont St Michel
D-Day veteran Jack Mortimer, from Wakefield, gets emotional as he travels on the ship
Royal Navy Commander Glen Hickson, D-Day veteran Jim Grant, Royal Navy Commodore John Voyce, and D-Day veteran Charles Horne, on board the Brittany Ferries ship
D-Day veteran Richard Aldred (centre) salutes from the deck of the ship
D-Day veteran Richard Aldred, who also travelled to Normandy today, pictured during the Second World War
Royal Navy Commander Glen Hickson, D-Day veteran Jim Grant, and Royal Navy Commodore John Voyce, on board the Brittany Ferries ship
World War II veterans are seen on the deck of the Mont St Michel cross-channel ferry
The Brittany Ferries ship Mont St Michel passes the Round Tower as it sets sail from Portsmouth Harbour
Victor Walker, 98, is among a number of veterans unable to travel to France this year due to his declining health
‘I have been very lucky to have visited Normandy several times in previous years to remember. However, this year I am unable to make the trip due to mobility and other health problems,’ he said.
Mr Walker was 17 when he joined the Royal Navy in June 1943 as a seaman.
He joined the crew of HMS Versatile, beginning his career escorting Arctic convoys – before the ship was redeployed to the Solent to escort convoys to Normandy.
This year only 12 veterans of the Battle of Normandy were present for afternoon tea at Southwick House, near Portsmouth, compared to 75 five years ago.
Les Underwood, 98, who was a Royal Navy gunner, is one of the youngest remaining veterans as he lied about his age to join up.
‘All the memories come back,’ Underwood told The Times. ‘Guns going everywhere, screaming from the men, some of them getting off the landing craft and some even drowned.’
He added: ‘My father always said men and boys don’t cry, but they do,’ he said. ‘I’ve cried at the thoughts of the men not coming back.’
Veteran Ken Cooke, 98, said the 80th anniversary commemorations this week will be the last time he revisits Gold Beach where he landed as an 18-year-old on June 6, 1944.
Appearing on Antiques Roadshow’s D-Day special this week, Mr Cooke recalled how he stepped onto the beach and straight into battle.
‘We set off for [Gold] Beach. I can’t describe the noise. You can’t describe the noise. It was that horrendous,’ he said.
D-Day veteran Jim Grant (centre) on board the ship today
D-Day veteran Albert Keir (right), 98, from Bakewell, Derbyshire, smiles from the deck
D-Day veteran Jim Kelly, from Sutton Coldfield, looks out onto the water
D-Day veteran Jim Kelly, who travelled to Normandy today via ferry, pictured during the Second World War
100-year-old D-Day veteran Bernard Morgan, from Crewe, salutes on board the ship
D-Day veteran Bernard Morgan, who is now 100, pictured during the Second World War
D-Day veteran Bernard Morgan (left), 100, from Crewe, salutes as veteran Jack Mortimer from Wakefield, gets emotional
D-Day veteran Albert Keir (left), 98, from Bakewell, Derbyshire, and Charlie Horne, 98, wave as they take a group photo
D-Day veteran Jack Mortimer, from Wakefield, looks emotional on the ship
D-Day veteran Arnie Salter, 98, from Warwickshire, on board the Brittany Ferry ship Mont St Michel
D-Day veteran Ronald Hendrey, 98, from Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, speaks on board the Brittany Ferry ship
D-Day veteran Ronald Hendrey, who is now 98, pictured during the Second World War
Veteran Ken Cooke, 98, (pictured aged 18) said the 80th anniversary commemorations this week will be the last time he revisits Gold Beach where he landed as an 18-year-old on June 6, 1944
‘I stepped off into six inches of water. There were explosions going off and what have you, but all I was bothered about was my wet socks.’
He added: ‘There were bodies rolling about in the water. But we didn’t have time to look round or anything. The sergeants and the officers [said] ”right lads, get off the beach as soon as you can. If anybody gets hit, don’t stop.”
‘And that’s what we did. We got away off the beach as quick as possible.
‘It was the following day that it all struck home what was happening. And as you were having breakfast, you’d look round and you’d say, ”where’s blondie? Where’s Harry?” And somebody would say, ”well remember that tank that got blown up on the beach? They were standing next to it”.
‘That’s when it sank in here, that these bullets coming towards you were real.’
Albert Keir, 98, who travelled to Normandy via ship today, trolled the sea area around the beaches before the army landed in the months prior to D-Day.
On D-Day, Mr Keir was part of the crew ferrying US troops onto Utah beach.
‘At night when it was dark, the sky was lit up with all different sorts of colours, tracer bullets and different things. And the noise was colossal… And the firing from the sea over our heads blasting the beaches was very bad. Took some standing that did.
‘It’s very difficult to try and get it out of your mind. It took some time to get it more or less out of my mind,’ he said.
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