Royal British Legion ensures D-Day war veterans join Queen and Donald Trump

Some 300 war veterans stood with the Queen, US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, German chancellor Angela Merkel and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day.

Their presence at the D-Day commemorations in Portsmouth - 75 years after they landed on the Normandy beaches on 6 June 1944 - was possible thanks to the support of the Royal British Legion.

The Royal British Legion is a charitable care provider who has supported war veterans as well as serving members of the military for almost 100 years. It operates six care homes for military veterans.

'They were fearless'

Veterans like 95-year-old Frank Preston. He was an able seaman on D-Day who served alongside troops from 12 countries. On 6 June 1944, he helped Canadian troops land on the beaches of Normandy.

His reflections on that day dismiss his own heroism. Frank Preston said: “The Canadians, they’re good lads. They were fearless. They were the lads who did the real raids.”

The Allied forces, arriving at five different beach landing zones, were made up of 156,000 troops from 12 nations: the USA, Canada, Australia, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, as well as the UK.

D-Day 'very messy'...'We saw our men dying'

Veteran George Dangerfield said: “D-Day was very noisy and very messy. We landed on Juno Beach at 07.30 and as soon as the big ramp went down, which was lowered before we hit the beach, we saw our men dying.”

George Batts was 18-years-old when he took part in the Normandy landings. Mr Batts said: “They were the darkest days of one’s life but at the same time, the proudest".

"We who were there will never forget those days and the colleagues we lost.”

After the 75 D-Day commemorations, 95-year-old Frank Preston and other veterans left Portsmouth on a ship chartered by the Royal British Legion, to return to the French beaches they landed on 75 years ago.

In a statement, the Royal British Legion said: “Working alongside the UK Government and other partners, we're planning significant commemorations to mark the anniversary.

“This includes a voyage to a series of commemorative events on both sides of the Channel for 300 of the veterans who helped liberate France during the Second World War. All at no cost to them.”

The Royal British Legion supports carers and helps ex-serving personnel and their families to live safely at home. It offers practical support and advice to help people can access the care services they need.

Royal British Legion care homes are: Dunkirk Memorial House in Somerset, Galanos House in Warwickshire, Halsey House in Norfolk, Lister House in North Yorkshire , Mais House in East Sussex and Maurice House in Kent.

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