Episode 3

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0:00:05 > 0:00:08Hello and welcome to D-Day 70 - The Heroes Remember.

0:00:08 > 0:00:11All this week we're looking ahead to the 70th anniversary

0:00:11 > 0:00:15of the Normandy landings. Today, I'm at Portsmouth Naval Base,

0:00:15 > 0:00:19home to two thirds of the Royal Navy's fleet.

0:00:19 > 0:00:22In the days before D-Day, this harbour and the Solent beyond,

0:00:22 > 0:00:25all the way up to the Isle of Wight in the distance,

0:00:25 > 0:00:29would have been packed with ships of all shapes and sizes,

0:00:29 > 0:00:32crammed with men waiting to make the crossing to France.

0:00:32 > 0:00:35It's a journey hundreds of the remaining veterans

0:00:35 > 0:00:39will make again this week to keep the memory of D-Day alive.

0:00:39 > 0:00:42We should never forget D-Day,

0:00:42 > 0:00:47because it was a major attempt to bring peace to the world.

0:00:47 > 0:00:53We were facing... with a tremendous power

0:00:53 > 0:00:55which had conquered the whole of Europe.

0:00:55 > 0:00:57First man I shot was...

0:00:59 > 0:01:02He was only a lad, about the same age as me.

0:01:07 > 0:01:09I didn't like it.

0:01:09 > 0:01:15Well, we should never forget D-Day because all our soldiers

0:01:15 > 0:01:22went to war, and many of them didn't come back.

0:01:44 > 0:01:48The remaining D-Day veterans are now in their late 80s and 90s.

0:01:48 > 0:01:51For many of those who are returning to Normandy this week,

0:01:51 > 0:01:54it will be their last visit. Today, one veteran

0:01:54 > 0:01:57describes the mayhem that greeted him

0:01:57 > 0:01:59as he landed in France 70 years ago.

0:02:01 > 0:02:06We had to jump into about four foot of water and wade ashore,

0:02:06 > 0:02:10and get shot at, machine-gunned, and shells bursting around us.

0:02:10 > 0:02:14James Holland discovers how the troops were trained for D-Day.

0:02:14 > 0:02:16That's all you had - just two.

0:02:16 > 0:02:20- Just two two-pounder shots? - Yes. That was it.

0:02:20 > 0:02:22Just showed you what happened with a gun inside the tank

0:02:22 > 0:02:23when it went off, doesn't it?

0:02:25 > 0:02:29We hear from a veteran's widow who continues to visit Normandy.

0:02:29 > 0:02:33Since he passed away, I have gone for him.

0:02:33 > 0:02:40I have gone back to pay his respects to his friends that he left behind.

0:02:42 > 0:02:45And Dan Snow talks to Royal Marines about the challenges

0:02:45 > 0:02:48faced by the men in the landing craft.

0:02:50 > 0:02:53As the troops were preparing for action in France,

0:02:53 > 0:02:57plans were being put into place here to cope with the inevitable

0:02:57 > 0:03:00casualties that were going to be coming back from Normandy.

0:03:00 > 0:03:03For Judy Stokes, a young volunteer for the Red Cross,

0:03:03 > 0:03:05it was a baptism of fire.

0:03:07 > 0:03:10As war started, Judy was keen to play her part,

0:03:10 > 0:03:15but too young to take on an active role.

0:03:15 > 0:03:17Her older sister worked for the Red Cross

0:03:17 > 0:03:21and Judy took every opportunity to tag along.

0:03:21 > 0:03:24I took a tremendous interest in what was going on and I thought,

0:03:24 > 0:03:28"Right, I'm going to join this as soon as I can and be one of them."

0:03:30 > 0:03:33Living in Fareham on the south coast of England, it was clear

0:03:33 > 0:03:35that something big was going on.

0:03:39 > 0:03:42We had so many troops,

0:03:42 > 0:03:46so many vehicles, and of course they all had to be hidden.

0:03:46 > 0:03:49So every road that had over-hanging trees

0:03:49 > 0:03:54had tanks or something similar underneath.

0:03:54 > 0:03:58We had reached the point of build-up where it was impossible to

0:03:58 > 0:04:03squeeze in another tank or another man anywhere out of sight.

0:04:03 > 0:04:06As time went on, middle of the night,

0:04:06 > 0:04:11there was a sound of voices, engines,

0:04:11 > 0:04:13and then of course we heard the movement.

0:04:13 > 0:04:17The next morning, the road was empty.

0:04:17 > 0:04:19ARTILLERY FIRE

0:04:22 > 0:04:25It was... It was really...

0:04:27 > 0:04:30Well, it was history.

0:04:30 > 0:04:34We didn't realise we were living history, it's only now.

0:04:34 > 0:04:35- NEWSCASTER:- 'D-Day has come.'

0:04:36 > 0:04:41That particular day, of course, I had to go to work as usual.

0:04:41 > 0:04:47We were sat at the bench and the most wonderful news -

0:04:47 > 0:04:50we had landed, it was wonderful.

0:04:55 > 0:04:57I had been training all this time.

0:04:57 > 0:05:01The Red Cross knew that I was available, very willing,

0:05:01 > 0:05:04but I had to be 19, and by that time I was.

0:05:04 > 0:05:09So that wonderful day, I was straight up the office.

0:05:09 > 0:05:12Three days later, uniform and gone.

0:05:12 > 0:05:16And that was when I went to Waterside Auxiliary Hospital.

0:05:16 > 0:05:18Lovely, lovely home near Liphook.

0:05:25 > 0:05:30We had men who, as soon as they came back from France,

0:05:30 > 0:05:34they went to local hospitals, possibly for operations,

0:05:34 > 0:05:37possibly for burns treatments.

0:05:37 > 0:05:42And then as quickly as possible they were consigned to

0:05:42 > 0:05:46a convalescent home to vacate the beds in the hospital

0:05:46 > 0:05:48for the next hospital ship coming in.

0:05:54 > 0:05:56I never knew where they had come from.

0:05:56 > 0:05:59I never knew what they had done, they didn't choose to tell me.

0:06:05 > 0:06:08Certainly, in the early days of the landings,

0:06:08 > 0:06:13the loss of life and injuries was terrific.

0:06:13 > 0:06:17As one man left, another was lined up to come in.

0:06:17 > 0:06:18We never had an empty bed.

0:06:22 > 0:06:26To start off with, of course, they'd be bed patients, and then

0:06:26 > 0:06:31as they improved they would be up and about in their hospital blues.

0:06:31 > 0:06:35As they started to get better, of course, they had to be occupied.

0:06:35 > 0:06:40We had lovely gardens - there was a tennis court for any of the men

0:06:40 > 0:06:42who were well enough to play.

0:06:42 > 0:06:45We sometimes used to play tennis with them,

0:06:45 > 0:06:49just to make sure they didn't overdo it. Well, that was our story, anyway.

0:06:53 > 0:06:55Dances were held, parties were held.

0:06:57 > 0:07:00Yes, it was made as peaceful and as comfortable

0:07:00 > 0:07:05and as nice as possible because I think by that time we had

0:07:05 > 0:07:10begun to realise this might be the last time these men were in England.

0:07:10 > 0:07:13If they got sent back to France, would they come back again?

0:07:15 > 0:07:18As the D-Day campaign progressed, so did Judy's nursing career.

0:07:18 > 0:07:22She was posted to Park Prewett Hospital in Basingstoke

0:07:22 > 0:07:26to work under the renowned plastic surgeon Sir Harold Gillies.

0:07:26 > 0:07:28There she came face to face with

0:07:28 > 0:07:30some of the most extreme wartime injuries.

0:07:32 > 0:07:36We had to go through what we politely called The Chamber of Horrors.

0:07:36 > 0:07:40These were photographs of patients

0:07:40 > 0:07:44with all the worst possible injuries.

0:07:44 > 0:07:47Some had very severe burns,

0:07:47 > 0:07:50some had very severe gunshot wounds.

0:07:50 > 0:07:54And our reaction was watched.

0:07:54 > 0:07:58And some girls recoiled and couldn't take it,

0:07:58 > 0:08:01so of course they were otherwise assigned.

0:08:03 > 0:08:07And you thought, these poor men, however did they bear it?

0:08:07 > 0:08:10Because this, of course, was them for life.

0:08:10 > 0:08:13By this time, it was obvious they would be going back

0:08:13 > 0:08:17to the Front at all, they were too badly damaged.

0:08:20 > 0:08:24There was one particular man I remember - Geordie Ray.

0:08:24 > 0:08:26Terrible man. SHE CHUCKLES

0:08:26 > 0:08:28He wasn't really. He was a lovely man.

0:08:28 > 0:08:31He was a tank man, and he had lost both hands.

0:08:31 > 0:08:35His party trick was to shake hands with you -

0:08:35 > 0:08:38of course, artificial hands - and he would slip one

0:08:38 > 0:08:43and you would be left holding it and he would be laughing his head off.

0:08:43 > 0:08:46I mean, I think that really, really takes courage.

0:08:46 > 0:08:49He married one of the sisters.

0:08:52 > 0:08:55It was a privilege to help these men.

0:08:55 > 0:09:00We were so young at the time, and because of the war

0:09:00 > 0:09:02we were pitchforked into a complete...

0:09:02 > 0:09:04I mean, you were at school one minute

0:09:04 > 0:09:07and you're nursing dying men the next.

0:09:07 > 0:09:09Only war would do that to you.

0:09:21 > 0:09:23So many of the people who took part in D-Day

0:09:23 > 0:09:26were just teenagers at the time.

0:09:26 > 0:09:29I'm joined here by four cadets - Nancey and Elizabeth,

0:09:29 > 0:09:31who are based here in Portsmouth, Sea Cadets,

0:09:31 > 0:09:35and James and Jack, who are based in Liverpool, Air Cadets.

0:09:35 > 0:09:38What does it mean, Jack, when you think of D-Day?

0:09:38 > 0:09:39What does it mean to you?

0:09:39 > 0:09:41It means quite a lot to me

0:09:41 > 0:09:44because we had soldiers fighting for our country,

0:09:44 > 0:09:48for our freedom, which obviously means a lot to everyone.

0:09:48 > 0:09:51When you think about it now - and it's 70 years ago this week -

0:09:51 > 0:09:54- it is extraordinary what they did, isn't it?- It is.

0:09:54 > 0:09:57I don't know how they actually done it - especially at that time.

0:09:57 > 0:10:00I mean, they didn't have much technology at the time,

0:10:00 > 0:10:06and for what they've done - and done it so well - it's amazing, really.

0:10:06 > 0:10:08How significant is it for you?

0:10:08 > 0:10:11It is quite significant, as Jack said.

0:10:11 > 0:10:14If they weren't there to fight for us, we might not be here now.

0:10:14 > 0:10:17And you've met a D-Day veteran, haven't you?

0:10:17 > 0:10:21Yeah, I met one a couple of weeks ago and he was telling me

0:10:21 > 0:10:25that his best mate was a bagpiper, and when he landed on D-Day,

0:10:25 > 0:10:28he thought he'd been shot but it was his bagpipe!

0:10:28 > 0:10:33So he fixed his bagpipe and bagpiped all the way up to the front line.

0:10:33 > 0:10:36And every year since then he's gone back and done the same route.

0:10:36 > 0:10:40And Nancey, you have taken part in a D-Day anniversary before,

0:10:40 > 0:10:41haven't you?

0:10:41 > 0:10:43Yes, that was last year on 6th June.

0:10:43 > 0:10:49Me and a lot of veterans paraded down on Southsea Common

0:10:49 > 0:10:52and I carried the standard and marked my respect.

0:10:52 > 0:10:55And, Elizabeth, you'll be doing something again this week -

0:10:55 > 0:10:56explain what it will be.

0:10:56 > 0:10:59We're doing parades down Southsea Common to commemorate D-Day

0:10:59 > 0:11:02and then there are services held in the cathedral in Portsmouth.

0:11:02 > 0:11:05And you two are going over to Normandy itself, aren't you?

0:11:05 > 0:11:08- We are, yeah. - What will you be doing?

0:11:08 > 0:11:12We'll be visiting the war graves while we're there, we'll be going

0:11:12 > 0:11:15to some museums, and we'll also be doing parades for D-Day.

0:11:15 > 0:11:18- It's your first time, isn't it? - For both of us, yeah.

0:11:18 > 0:11:21And what are your thoughts in the run-up to going?

0:11:21 > 0:11:25I'm excited to go. I can't wait to see what's going on over there.

0:11:25 > 0:11:28Excited, but nervous at the same time.

0:11:28 > 0:11:30- Why?- Meeting all the veterans

0:11:30 > 0:11:33and listening to what they've got to tell us,

0:11:33 > 0:11:37what they went through, is something you've got to respect, isn't it?

0:11:37 > 0:11:39The success of D-Day lay partly in

0:11:39 > 0:11:44the meticulous planning that had gone into every aspect of it.

0:11:44 > 0:11:47But now the men who were going to land on the Normandy beaches

0:11:47 > 0:11:49had to be prepared.

0:11:49 > 0:11:53James Holland takes a look at the training and rehearsals needed

0:11:53 > 0:11:57to ready the troops for the largest seaborne invasion ever staged.

0:11:59 > 0:12:02The plan to invade Europe was ambitious,

0:12:02 > 0:12:07and with over 150,000 men plus aircraft and ships involved,

0:12:07 > 0:12:10it mean a lot of preparation and training was needed to pull it off.

0:12:10 > 0:12:12None of the Allied planners

0:12:12 > 0:12:16were in any doubt about the enormous challenges of a seaborne invasion,

0:12:16 > 0:12:21one of the most complex and difficult military operations imaginable.

0:12:21 > 0:12:23Key to its chances of success

0:12:23 > 0:12:26was the development of new technology and equipment.

0:12:26 > 0:12:29It was now time to put those developments into action.

0:12:31 > 0:12:34Right across the south coast of England, military camps

0:12:34 > 0:12:38began to spring up as troops were trained in the art of beach landings

0:12:38 > 0:12:40and amphibious attack.

0:12:42 > 0:12:47Eldon Roberts spent months training on various beaches in the area.

0:12:47 > 0:12:48We trained for D-Day all the time,

0:12:48 > 0:12:51that's what it was all about.

0:12:51 > 0:12:53We were the assault division.

0:12:53 > 0:12:57Often we would go out at night on a boat and anchor out and come in

0:12:57 > 0:13:02and hit the beach in the morning, as was going to happen in the invasion.

0:13:02 > 0:13:05We would hit the beach and come up over the cliffs

0:13:05 > 0:13:09and go round firing blanks, scaring the schoolkids and that

0:13:09 > 0:13:11on their way to school and all that stuff.

0:13:11 > 0:13:14It was a huge undertaking.

0:13:14 > 0:13:17And thousands of Allied troops moving into the area to train

0:13:17 > 0:13:20inevitably meant some civilians had to move out.

0:13:24 > 0:13:26Just before Christmas 1943,

0:13:26 > 0:13:30the residents here in Tyneham on the Dorset coast received a letter

0:13:30 > 0:13:35from the War Office telling them to leave - and in just four weeks.

0:13:35 > 0:13:37Their village was about to become a firing range.

0:13:37 > 0:13:40All part of the pre-invasion training plans.

0:13:43 > 0:13:46The villagers were never allowed back.

0:13:50 > 0:13:53- Hello, John.- Hi.- How are you? Nice to see you.- Very well, thank you.

0:13:53 > 0:13:56'John Bower was part of a tank battalion

0:13:56 > 0:14:00'who trained in the area, ready for the D-Day landings.'

0:14:00 > 0:14:02Used to drive the tanks about

0:14:02 > 0:14:03and go out on manoeuvres,

0:14:03 > 0:14:07do wireless operating. And we used to occasionally go to

0:14:07 > 0:14:09a range for firing.

0:14:09 > 0:14:12Am I right in saying you used to practise firing out to sea?

0:14:12 > 0:14:15Two shots is all you had, just two.

0:14:15 > 0:14:17- Just two, two-pounder shots?- Yes.

0:14:17 > 0:14:20That was it, just showed you what happened with

0:14:20 > 0:14:22a gun inside the tank when it went off, didn't it?

0:14:22 > 0:14:25So when did you start saying, we are training now for an invasion?

0:14:25 > 0:14:29Well, I suppose we were training for it all the time,

0:14:29 > 0:14:31but you didn't think about that, really.

0:14:31 > 0:14:33But when I went to Aldershot,

0:14:33 > 0:14:35where we went to waterproof the tank,

0:14:35 > 0:14:37then you really thought about it.

0:14:37 > 0:14:41And you also had a pond there that you drove the tank into to see

0:14:41 > 0:14:44if everything was all right, that you had waterproofed it all right.

0:14:44 > 0:14:48And then you came back out again and we also filled it up with ammunition

0:14:48 > 0:14:50and everything ready to go over.

0:14:50 > 0:14:52In all your training, did you ever practice taking

0:14:52 > 0:14:55- a tank on to a landing craft? - No, no, you went straight down

0:14:55 > 0:14:59and got on to the boat at Portsmouth and you went over.

0:14:59 > 0:15:00And that was it, first time?

0:15:00 > 0:15:03First time, that's absolutely right, first time.

0:15:03 > 0:15:08By 1944, the plan to invade Europe was gathering momentum.

0:15:08 > 0:15:11It was decided that Allied forces would land on a 50-mile stretch

0:15:11 > 0:15:15of the Normandy coast and then break through the Germans' many defences.

0:15:15 > 0:15:19The British and Canadians would storm three beaches in the east

0:15:19 > 0:15:21and the Americans were to seize the west.

0:15:21 > 0:15:24The first training exercise for the landings on Utah Beach

0:15:24 > 0:15:27took place at Slapton Sands in Devon.

0:15:27 > 0:15:29The operation went disastrously wrong

0:15:29 > 0:15:33and resulted in more than 700 casualties.

0:15:34 > 0:15:38A month later, in May 1944, a trial run for the landings on

0:15:38 > 0:15:43Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword beaches - codenamed Operation Fabius -

0:15:43 > 0:15:47took place all along the south coast, including here on Hayling Island.

0:15:55 > 0:15:58Both Winston Churchill and General Eisenhower,

0:15:58 > 0:16:01the supreme Allied commander, came here to this former hotel

0:16:01 > 0:16:04to watch those crucial training exercises.

0:16:04 > 0:16:07Both men were all too aware of the enormous risks

0:16:07 > 0:16:09of attempting a cross-Channel invasion,

0:16:09 > 0:16:11and you can't help wondering what must have been

0:16:11 > 0:16:15going through their minds that day as they watched the training exercises

0:16:15 > 0:16:16on the beaches just over there.

0:16:16 > 0:16:20But perhaps seeing the array of new landing craft,

0:16:20 > 0:16:25specially designed equipment, and the professionalism of the men,

0:16:25 > 0:16:29perhaps that gave them just a little bit of confidence for what lay ahead.

0:16:29 > 0:16:32Royal Marine James Baker was stationed on Hayling Island

0:16:32 > 0:16:36at the time, training Canadian forces how to use landing craft.

0:16:36 > 0:16:42It was a typical camp for soldiers, you know.

0:16:42 > 0:16:49You were in these Nissen huts and they kept you together

0:16:49 > 0:16:52because you were going to die together.

0:16:56 > 0:17:01We were the best-trained troops. We were good, we were good.

0:17:03 > 0:17:06We were using live ammunition.

0:17:06 > 0:17:09It was a bit hairy,

0:17:09 > 0:17:16but we were young and fearless...

0:17:16 > 0:17:18and thought we were going to live forever.

0:17:21 > 0:17:22And nobody...

0:17:27 > 0:17:30..was going to take our country.

0:17:33 > 0:17:36These dress rehearsals for the D-Day landings had gone well,

0:17:36 > 0:17:39and the Allied troops were deemed ready for battle.

0:17:39 > 0:17:40But despite all the training,

0:17:40 > 0:17:44many of the troops didn't know what was coming their way.

0:17:44 > 0:17:46At about 4.30 in the morning

0:17:46 > 0:17:48they woke us up and said, "This is it, invasion."

0:17:48 > 0:17:50That was the first time you knew about it?

0:17:50 > 0:17:54It was the first thing we knew about it. No idea until then.

0:17:54 > 0:17:56They said, go and draw live ammunition

0:17:56 > 0:17:58and this is the real thing.

0:17:58 > 0:18:01Up until then you thought it was another training exercise?

0:18:01 > 0:18:03Yes, absolutely. We thought we were going to hit

0:18:03 > 0:18:06the Isle of Wight or somewhere, you know?

0:18:06 > 0:18:11'Eldon was in the first boat that landed on Juno Beach that day.'

0:18:11 > 0:18:14Any feeling of nerves, fear at all?

0:18:14 > 0:18:17No, you didn't think about it, you were so geared up for it.

0:18:17 > 0:18:19We knew exactly what to do.

0:18:19 > 0:18:23If we hadn't had that training, it would have been a disaster.

0:18:25 > 0:18:29In the run-up to D-Day, no stone had been left unturned.

0:18:29 > 0:18:33The preparations and logistical support were absolutely phenomenal,

0:18:33 > 0:18:35but in the fighting to come, it was going to be

0:18:35 > 0:18:38the men on the ground, and especially the infantry

0:18:38 > 0:18:41and tank regiments, that were going to have to do the hard yards.

0:18:41 > 0:18:42They were trained and ready,

0:18:42 > 0:18:45but faced a very bitter and bloody battle ahead.

0:18:50 > 0:18:54On Friday, the events of D-Day will be remembered at a series

0:18:54 > 0:18:57of ceremonies in Normandy that will be attended by the Queen,

0:18:57 > 0:19:01the Duke of Edinburgh and younger generations of the royal family.

0:19:01 > 0:19:04Veterans will be commemorating their comrades' sacrifices

0:19:04 > 0:19:07at a service at Bayeux Cemetery.

0:19:07 > 0:19:10There will be an international event to which heads of state from

0:19:10 > 0:19:14around the world have been invited, and the day will conclude with

0:19:14 > 0:19:18the British march-past near what was known as Gold Beach on D-Day.

0:19:18 > 0:19:20MILITARY BAND PLAYS

0:19:21 > 0:19:23James and Jack, you're going to Normandy

0:19:23 > 0:19:25for the first time this year. What will you be doing there?

0:19:25 > 0:19:30We'll be doing some parades in Arromanches with the veterans,

0:19:30 > 0:19:34flying our standards, going to some of the war graves -

0:19:34 > 0:19:38the English ones, the Americans and the Germans,

0:19:38 > 0:19:39we'll be visiting them.

0:19:39 > 0:19:42And what are you most looking forward to?

0:19:42 > 0:19:44Doing the parade with the veterans.

0:19:44 > 0:19:49Just seeing...we respect them, we're going with them

0:19:49 > 0:19:53just to say we've always got your back and we're always here for you.

0:19:53 > 0:19:57We can't really pay them back, essentially, because what they did

0:19:57 > 0:20:01they say was their job, and they don't feel like heroes.

0:20:01 > 0:20:04But to everyone else, they are the heroes of today,

0:20:04 > 0:20:07because like I said before, if they didn't fight for us,

0:20:07 > 0:20:09we wouldn't be here right now,

0:20:09 > 0:20:12we wouldn't be able to thank them, wouldn't be able to help them.

0:20:12 > 0:20:15And you'll be looking forward to helping the veterans?

0:20:15 > 0:20:19We're doing some parades, and they'll be in the parades with us.

0:20:19 > 0:20:24We'll help them get around the parades...just to repay what

0:20:24 > 0:20:27they've done for us, we'll help them out while they're over there.

0:20:27 > 0:20:31And obviously all of us will enjoy doing that.

0:20:31 > 0:20:34Well, many veterans will be returning to Normandy

0:20:34 > 0:20:37with their wives, children or even grandchildren.

0:20:37 > 0:20:41And for some of those families, keeping the memory of D-Day alive

0:20:41 > 0:20:45continues long after the veterans are able to tell their stories.

0:20:47 > 0:20:52Frances met Normandy veteran Bill Stone in 1963 when she was

0:20:52 > 0:20:56in the Territorial Army and he was serving as a military policeman.

0:20:58 > 0:21:03I was speeding in the camp and as a policeman he pulled me up.

0:21:03 > 0:21:06And the next morning I was up before the colonel.

0:21:06 > 0:21:10Sergeant Stone marched me in and the colonel said,

0:21:10 > 0:21:14"Please, Sergeant, don't do it again."

0:21:14 > 0:21:16And I came out.

0:21:16 > 0:21:19And we met in the sergeant's mess afterward

0:21:19 > 0:21:22and he offered to buy me a drink, which I declined.

0:21:22 > 0:21:23And then after that,

0:21:23 > 0:21:28meeting at the drill hall at least twice a week, and we got together.

0:21:28 > 0:21:31And went from there, from strength to strength.

0:21:31 > 0:21:36We married in 1966. On 18th June.

0:21:36 > 0:21:39And Bill always referred to that as his "Waterloo day".

0:21:40 > 0:21:44He was my special person. He was not only my husband,

0:21:44 > 0:21:47he was my friend, or mate, as they used to say.

0:21:50 > 0:21:53When he was on duty, he was very much on duty.

0:21:53 > 0:21:56He was very much the policeman.

0:21:56 > 0:21:59But off duty he was one of the boys.

0:21:59 > 0:22:03He liked to drink, he liked to smoke,

0:22:03 > 0:22:06and he liked to laugh, and he liked to travel.

0:22:07 > 0:22:11One of the couple's regular trips was to Normandy,

0:22:11 > 0:22:14where Bill landed on D-Day with the Seaforth Highlanders.

0:22:14 > 0:22:18He was so proud to be a Seaforth Highlander.

0:22:19 > 0:22:25We have a photo of him in his kilt before he went to Normandy.

0:22:25 > 0:22:29And they landed on D-Day with the 51st Highlander Division

0:22:29 > 0:22:30on Sword Beach.

0:22:32 > 0:22:34They were in the landing craft,

0:22:34 > 0:22:37which was flat-bottomed and bobbing up and down.

0:22:37 > 0:22:41As it came into the beach, they let the front down,

0:22:41 > 0:22:44and it wasn't on the beach.

0:22:44 > 0:22:46So he landed in six foot of water

0:22:46 > 0:22:51with 90lb on his back and a rifle, etc,

0:22:51 > 0:22:52so it wasn't a good start.

0:22:54 > 0:22:57They went up the beach, and he lost two friends.

0:22:57 > 0:23:03It was chaos - shelling and bullets and death around them.

0:23:03 > 0:23:06So he found that quite horrendous.

0:23:06 > 0:23:11He said, "You landed as boys and you ended the day as men."

0:23:11 > 0:23:12He often said that.

0:23:19 > 0:23:22I think they were prepared to a certain degree

0:23:22 > 0:23:28but not fully aware of what was going to happen - the carnage.

0:23:28 > 0:23:31That was the thing that got to him.

0:23:31 > 0:23:34Seeing some of the wounded, others were dead.

0:23:34 > 0:23:38That, I think, was the thing that hit him most.

0:23:42 > 0:23:47It was difficult at times, because he still had nightmares.

0:23:47 > 0:23:52He would suddenly sit up in bed and go, "Keep down! Keep down!"

0:23:52 > 0:23:54And, you know, words like this.

0:23:54 > 0:23:59And there were days when yes, he was very, shall we say,

0:23:59 > 0:24:01thoughtful - quiet.

0:24:01 > 0:24:06And I learnt over the time to leave him.

0:24:06 > 0:24:09Then if he wanted to talk, I would listen.

0:24:09 > 0:24:12But there are times when these men want to be on their own.

0:24:16 > 0:24:20When he went back to Normandy,

0:24:20 > 0:24:25and he stood on Sword Beach for the first time, which was 1987,

0:24:25 > 0:24:29very emotional. Very emotional.

0:24:29 > 0:24:34He looked out to sea and he said, "There was nowhere for us to go.

0:24:34 > 0:24:37"If we couldn't have got off the beach,

0:24:37 > 0:24:40"there was nowhere for us to go."

0:24:40 > 0:24:43And that was a very emotional moment for him.

0:24:45 > 0:24:54Bill and I were together from 1966 until 8th November 2001.

0:24:54 > 0:24:56And that's when he passed away.

0:24:58 > 0:25:01A bit traumatic, obviously, for me,

0:25:01 > 0:25:05but I gave him a very good send-off.

0:25:09 > 0:25:13And since he passed away, I have gone for him.

0:25:13 > 0:25:20I've gone back to pay his respects to his friends that he left behind.

0:25:24 > 0:25:28I wear Bill's medals on my right-hand side

0:25:28 > 0:25:33because he was proud of them, and I'm proud to wear them for him.

0:25:33 > 0:25:37Every time he went back, we went on to Sword Beach

0:25:37 > 0:25:41and he always put two crosses down - two poppy crosses.

0:25:41 > 0:25:45And marked them with stones because two of his friends

0:25:45 > 0:25:48didn't make it off the beach on that awful day.

0:25:48 > 0:25:50And that's what I do now,

0:25:50 > 0:25:53and that's what I've been doing since he's been gone.

0:25:55 > 0:26:00When you look at Sword Beach, especially if the tide is out,

0:26:00 > 0:26:02it is a shock to see.

0:26:02 > 0:26:07And then you think, and if you can, you visualise the thousands of men

0:26:07 > 0:26:09that were coming ashore there...

0:26:09 > 0:26:12And I do get a bit of a cold shiver.

0:26:14 > 0:26:18I do it for him, because I feel that I should.

0:26:20 > 0:26:23And I know that if he's up there, or wherever he is,

0:26:23 > 0:26:26I'm sure that he's approving of it.

0:26:26 > 0:26:29This year's trip to the Normandy beaches

0:26:29 > 0:26:32will be particularly poignant for Frances.

0:26:32 > 0:26:35I shall probably stand there for the last time this year

0:26:35 > 0:26:38and I'll probably have tears.

0:26:38 > 0:26:42It will be sad, as the last time,

0:26:42 > 0:26:46but that unfortunately comes with age. We can't do it any more.

0:26:46 > 0:26:48It will be the end of an era.

0:26:58 > 0:27:02Nancey and Elizabeth, when you think back to D-Day and the people

0:27:02 > 0:27:06who took part, many of them were not that much older than you, were they?

0:27:06 > 0:27:11I think it's quite extraordinary that people just a bit older than us

0:27:11 > 0:27:15went out there and fought for our country.

0:27:15 > 0:27:17To be honest, putting myself in their shoes,

0:27:17 > 0:27:19I don't reckon I could have done that.

0:27:19 > 0:27:21I can't relate to it,

0:27:21 > 0:27:24because my life is so different to what theirs would have been.

0:27:24 > 0:27:28And thinking about going over there and doing it is just unimaginable.

0:27:28 > 0:27:32James and Jack - when you think about it, you're 17,

0:27:32 > 0:27:36you're 16 - these men were, many of them, 18 years old.

0:27:36 > 0:27:37Just a bit older than us.

0:27:37 > 0:27:40That's quite frightening, to be honest. I couldn't be going

0:27:40 > 0:27:44out to war at this age - I'd be too scared, to be honest with you.

0:27:44 > 0:27:48So I can't even imagine what would be running through their minds at

0:27:48 > 0:27:51the time - especially deploying onto the beaches, and things like that.

0:27:51 > 0:27:53I mean, if me and James were to go out,

0:27:53 > 0:27:56- we'd be worried, not only for ourselves but for each other.- Yeah.

0:27:56 > 0:27:59That must have been a frightening experience for them, really.

0:27:59 > 0:28:02The veterans all talk about the camaraderie, the close bonds

0:28:02 > 0:28:05they forged, which is something the two of you understand, isn't it?

0:28:05 > 0:28:06BOTH: Yeah.

0:28:06 > 0:28:11Even from the day we joined Cadets, James even got me into Air Cadets,

0:28:11 > 0:28:13and that obviously has built a bond between us.

0:28:13 > 0:28:16And because we've known each other that long -

0:28:16 > 0:28:19we've known each other since primary school, really -

0:28:19 > 0:28:22so if we were to go out to war like them, and obviously

0:28:22 > 0:28:25because we've got that bond, it would be so much worse, really.

0:28:25 > 0:28:28For them to develop a bond so much more quickly

0:28:28 > 0:28:32and work as a team, as if they're brothers, is just fantastic.

0:28:32 > 0:28:38Have you got any idea now how you think the anniversary

0:28:38 > 0:28:40that you're about to go and take part in

0:28:40 > 0:28:42will leave you feeling afterwards?

0:28:42 > 0:28:43What do you think it will make you feel?

0:28:43 > 0:28:47I think it's quite important because we're remembering

0:28:47 > 0:28:5270 years ago and we want to keep that going on for the coming years.

0:28:52 > 0:28:57And when us Cadets join the Navy or the forces

0:28:57 > 0:28:59and we fight for our country,

0:28:59 > 0:29:03we'd want people to remember us and mark their respect.

0:29:03 > 0:29:06- Elizabeth? - It's exactly as she said.

0:29:06 > 0:29:09If I joined the forces, I would like things that I do to be remembered.

0:29:09 > 0:29:12So it's just paying respect to those and what they've done -

0:29:12 > 0:29:14the people who have laid down their lives

0:29:14 > 0:29:17- so we could have what we have now. - Thank you all very much.

0:29:19 > 0:29:23All this week, Dan Snow has been finding out what D-Day means

0:29:23 > 0:29:25to present-day servicemen and women.

0:29:25 > 0:29:29Today he meets Royal Marines of 45 Commando,

0:29:29 > 0:29:32whose regimental history goes back to D-Day, to find out

0:29:32 > 0:29:36more about the men who landed on Normandy's heavily defended beaches.

0:29:40 > 0:29:44As dawn broke on 6th June 1944, the stage was set

0:29:44 > 0:29:46for the biggest and most ambitious

0:29:46 > 0:29:50amphibious invasion in history - the D-Day landings.

0:29:50 > 0:29:53Over two years of intelligence had been gathered,

0:29:53 > 0:29:55the training had been completed,

0:29:55 > 0:29:59and now, around 6,000 naval vessels - a vast armada -

0:29:59 > 0:30:02was steaming towards the beaches of Normandy,

0:30:02 > 0:30:05ready to invade what was enemy territory.

0:30:10 > 0:30:12ARTILLERY FIRE

0:30:12 > 0:30:16As the men came in by landing craft, they would not have known

0:30:16 > 0:30:18whether they were going to survive that day.

0:30:21 > 0:30:23The men, if they did make it ashore, risked being wiped out

0:30:23 > 0:30:26by machine-gun fire or snipers that were based inland.

0:30:26 > 0:30:28And as they crept up the beach,

0:30:28 > 0:30:31they would have been moving past the dead and wounded.

0:30:31 > 0:30:36Whether you lived or died seemed arbitrary - it was a matter of luck.

0:30:36 > 0:30:39I've spent years reading about D-Day, I've met lots of veterans

0:30:39 > 0:30:42who took part in the fighting on that fateful day.

0:30:42 > 0:30:44Yet it's very hard for me to understand.

0:30:44 > 0:30:46It's almost impossible to imagine

0:30:46 > 0:30:50what those remarkable young men went through on D-Day.

0:30:54 > 0:30:58More than 150,000 troops took part that day.

0:30:58 > 0:31:0117,000 of those men were Royal Marines.

0:31:04 > 0:31:07Here in Arbroath, home of 45 Commando, the toughness

0:31:07 > 0:31:10and professionalism exhibited by that unit on D-Day

0:31:10 > 0:31:13is still central to their training today.

0:31:17 > 0:31:20Amphibious assault is one of the hardest things

0:31:20 > 0:31:22you can do in the military, isn't it? What are the things you think about,

0:31:22 > 0:31:25to play your part in that successfully?

0:31:25 > 0:31:27Everyone thinks it's essentially

0:31:27 > 0:31:28just a boat driving up to the shoreline

0:31:28 > 0:31:30and everyone just running off.

0:31:30 > 0:31:31There's much more to it than that.

0:31:31 > 0:31:34You need to co-ordinate between yourself and the Navy to get there.

0:31:34 > 0:31:37Co-ordinate with the actual landing craft so they know

0:31:37 > 0:31:40what the beach is going to be like that they are coming up against.

0:31:40 > 0:31:41Where the defensive positions are.

0:31:41 > 0:31:44It's not a case of just being able to run up and then take a position,

0:31:44 > 0:31:47it's a case of running up, planning.

0:31:47 > 0:31:52We are Yankee Company, 45 Commando. Actions on attack - small arms fire.

0:31:52 > 0:31:55'Making sure you know what's happening with the other troops.'

0:31:55 > 0:31:57So you're aware of the whole picture,

0:31:57 > 0:32:00rather than just a small piece of it, so you know how you fit in.

0:32:00 > 0:32:04It is my intent to destroy enemy forces by attacking objective Gold

0:32:04 > 0:32:06so that the southern flank can be secured

0:32:06 > 0:32:09prior to amphibious landings on Red Beach.

0:32:09 > 0:32:10Red Beach is located here.

0:32:10 > 0:32:13It must be a nervous time when you're on those boats,

0:32:13 > 0:32:16because that's when you can't do much to protect yourselves, can you?

0:32:16 > 0:32:19Yeah, I guess you're quite exposed, and obviously thinking about stuff.

0:32:19 > 0:32:22But at the end of the day, if you've done proper orders

0:32:22 > 0:32:25and the lads feel well-prepared and they've done their proper training,

0:32:25 > 0:32:26everyone should be good to go.

0:32:26 > 0:32:28It's not hard for today's marines

0:32:28 > 0:32:31to appreciate what the men went through in 1944.

0:32:33 > 0:32:36It goes all the way back from D-Day. Landing, doing beach assaults.

0:32:36 > 0:32:39Even to this day, we still crack it out now.

0:32:39 > 0:32:42And that's what the Royal Marines is all about.

0:32:42 > 0:32:45Knowing that in the past they've played such a massive part

0:32:45 > 0:32:47in historical events like D-Day

0:32:47 > 0:32:49and sort of just to imagine the things the lads had to go through,

0:32:49 > 0:32:53especially our lads, 45 Commando and the role they played on D-Day,

0:32:53 > 0:32:55it does mean a lot. It gives you a bit of pride in your job now.

0:32:55 > 0:32:58It's unimaginable what they had to go through.

0:32:58 > 0:33:02Obviously we've done beach assaults and similar training exercises

0:33:02 > 0:33:04but I can't imagine what it would have been like

0:33:04 > 0:33:07for those guys in real life in such a huge assault.

0:33:07 > 0:33:12'Like their fellow marines in World War II, these guys still carry

0:33:12 > 0:33:15'a lot of equipment, but the technology has advanced hugely

0:33:15 > 0:33:17'in the last 70 years.'

0:33:17 > 0:33:20- Talk me through this.- This is the lightweight infantry periscope.

0:33:20 > 0:33:24So you could be in cover and see the enemy and work out...?

0:33:24 > 0:33:25It's used in the trenches.

0:33:25 > 0:33:28That's a brilliant piece of kit that's descended from the stuff

0:33:28 > 0:33:31they would've used way back in World War I, World War II.

0:33:31 > 0:33:34This is just an adaptation of what they would've had.

0:33:34 > 0:33:37This is ranges, bearing and elevation.

0:33:37 > 0:33:39So that's a very advanced bit of kit - they wouldn't have had that.

0:33:39 > 0:33:42This has come a long way from binoculars.

0:33:42 > 0:33:45All three of these things here are for fighting at night.

0:33:45 > 0:33:48Great bit of kit for night-time, last night we couldn't see,

0:33:48 > 0:33:51whacked that on and could see everything in front of us.

0:33:51 > 0:33:53This is holographic sight on a range drum

0:33:53 > 0:33:56which produces a red dot on screen here, for the firer.

0:33:56 > 0:33:59- That helps to improve accuracy? - Improves accuracy, yeah.

0:33:59 > 0:34:02They would have loved to have those 70 years ago, wouldn't they?

0:34:05 > 0:34:08The Royal Marines motto is Per Mare, Per Terram -

0:34:08 > 0:34:10By Sea, By Land.

0:34:10 > 0:34:13And on D-Day, they were expected to fight across both.

0:34:15 > 0:34:18These Royal Marines are practising a cliff assault.

0:34:18 > 0:34:21There were certain places along that Normandy Coast

0:34:21 > 0:34:23where they had to attack up cliffs.

0:34:24 > 0:34:27What we're seeing here is a reminder that you guys aren't just

0:34:27 > 0:34:29trained to fight up the beach

0:34:29 > 0:34:32but to deal with obstacles beyond that as well, fighting inland.

0:34:32 > 0:34:36We'd be expected to get to a beach and then cross an obstacle

0:34:36 > 0:34:38if it was there, such as a cliff,

0:34:38 > 0:34:41and continue on and take on the enemy.

0:34:41 > 0:34:44When you think of what they achieved at D-Day,

0:34:44 > 0:34:45does that fill you with awe?

0:34:45 > 0:34:47When we think of D-Day,

0:34:47 > 0:34:50I mean, it's hard to comprehend the scale of that assault.

0:34:50 > 0:34:53I like to think if we were doing this for real,

0:34:53 > 0:34:56we'd be trying to remain covert

0:34:56 > 0:34:59and hopefully not come up against the enemy like the guys did on D-Day

0:34:59 > 0:35:05which is...unbelievable, really.

0:35:08 > 0:35:11The human cost of D-Day was high.

0:35:11 > 0:35:144,500 men lost their lives that day.

0:35:14 > 0:35:18A huge sacrifice, but the figure was a lot lower

0:35:18 > 0:35:19than many had feared.

0:35:21 > 0:35:24The Normandy landings could have been a catastrophe.

0:35:24 > 0:35:28But thanks to the professionalism of the men, the guts they showed,

0:35:28 > 0:35:32and the meticulous planning that went into them,

0:35:32 > 0:35:34D-Day was a resounding success.

0:35:43 > 0:35:48Robert Barker joined up after his home city, Liverpool, was bombed.

0:35:48 > 0:35:52He was one of 30,00 men who landed on Sword Beach on D-Day.

0:35:58 > 0:36:00We expected people to get killed or injured.

0:36:02 > 0:36:05They had shells behind, they had guns behind that,

0:36:05 > 0:36:07machine guns at posts.

0:36:07 > 0:36:10We knew what we were going to go through.

0:36:10 > 0:36:12I mean, we were scared, but we had to do it.

0:36:16 > 0:36:20My home was bombed, I lost my sister and her son,

0:36:20 > 0:36:23and a five-year-old niece. My mother was wounded...

0:36:23 > 0:36:27and that annoyed me.

0:36:27 > 0:36:29So I wanted to...I was only 17 then

0:36:29 > 0:36:32but when I was 18 I joined the army.

0:36:33 > 0:36:37Two years later, as a 20-year-old private in a rifle regiment,

0:36:37 > 0:36:40Robert found himself in a military camp

0:36:40 > 0:36:44gearing up for the biggest amphibious invasion in history.

0:36:44 > 0:36:46We weren't allowed out, barbed wired around us,

0:36:46 > 0:36:50sentries and policemen all over the place. We weren't allowed to move.

0:36:50 > 0:36:52Couldn't send a letter home. Couldn't do anything.

0:36:52 > 0:36:54And we stayed that way for about a week or two.

0:36:57 > 0:37:00So we got a surprise when we they put us on boats,

0:37:00 > 0:37:01took us out of Portsmouth.

0:37:09 > 0:37:12There were so many landing craft in the harbour,

0:37:12 > 0:37:16all around the place, you know. We knew it was a big thing.

0:37:17 > 0:37:19It didn't worry us really, it didn't worry me.

0:37:19 > 0:37:22I knew we were going to come under fire and we might get hurt,

0:37:22 > 0:37:24but there's nothing I could do about it.

0:37:31 > 0:37:34We were given three 50-round bandoliers of ammunition,

0:37:34 > 0:37:38two grenades, one smoke bomb, one mine.

0:37:38 > 0:37:42They had boxes of ammo and we could help ourselves,

0:37:42 > 0:37:46so we filled our pockets with loose ammo.

0:37:46 > 0:37:47It wasn't light.

0:37:47 > 0:37:50If you fell over, you wouldn't have a chance of getting up.

0:37:54 > 0:37:56We were stuck in Portsmouth Harbour for about two or three days.

0:37:56 > 0:37:59There was nothing we could do, we just lazed around on the boats.

0:38:03 > 0:38:05And then one night we just moved out,

0:38:05 > 0:38:08and we were under convoys and went across the Channel.

0:38:08 > 0:38:10They were huge convoys.

0:38:11 > 0:38:14We left on the night of the 5th and it took us

0:38:14 > 0:38:18a couple of hours to cross the Channel, and we got there for dawn.

0:38:20 > 0:38:21I was seasick.

0:38:23 > 0:38:27And as we got closer to the shore, we passed the battleship.

0:38:27 > 0:38:30It was called HMS Roberts, and she fired a broadside.

0:38:30 > 0:38:32ARTILLERY FIRE

0:38:32 > 0:38:33Bang! Hell of a banger.

0:38:33 > 0:38:35Cured my sea sickness, I wasn't seasick.

0:38:35 > 0:38:38I think I was too scared to be seasick.

0:38:41 > 0:38:45We started to pass ships that were sinking, men in the water.

0:38:45 > 0:38:48Some were alive, some were dead. We couldn't stop.

0:38:48 > 0:38:50We weren't allowed to stop.

0:38:56 > 0:39:00We got nearer to the shore then they were machine-gunning us.

0:39:00 > 0:39:03We were standing behind the ramp, waiting to go out

0:39:03 > 0:39:06and a shell comes over the top of the ramp, but didn't burst,

0:39:06 > 0:39:09didn't explode, just came through the ramp and kept going.

0:39:11 > 0:39:16We had to jump into about four foot of water and wade ashore.

0:39:16 > 0:39:19Under constant fire, Robert needed a lot more than luck

0:39:19 > 0:39:23to get across the heavily fortified Sword Beach.

0:39:23 > 0:39:26We were in for it, we knew we were going to be having a rough time.

0:39:26 > 0:39:31I'm getting shot at, machine-gunned and shells bursting around us.

0:39:31 > 0:39:34He saw his opportunity and dived behind a tank,

0:39:34 > 0:39:38using it as a shield to get him and his platoon up the beach.

0:39:38 > 0:39:41We followed it up the beach and when we got to the top,

0:39:41 > 0:39:43the tank was over the top,

0:39:43 > 0:39:46we just lay down and waited for the platoon to catch up with us.

0:39:48 > 0:39:51We managed to get up without losing a man.

0:39:52 > 0:39:55Roberts's section of the 5th Battalion King's Regiment

0:39:55 > 0:39:58had been given the job of securing the beach

0:39:58 > 0:40:00for the arrival of further troops and supplies.

0:40:00 > 0:40:02The Germans had fired at us

0:40:02 > 0:40:05and we'd have to flop down then crawl forward,

0:40:05 > 0:40:09fire back at them, then we'd charge them and kill or capture them.

0:40:09 > 0:40:12We'd send the prisoners back. And we were doing that all day.

0:40:21 > 0:40:24All we had was water bottles, boiled sweets and water.

0:40:24 > 0:40:28And that was what we had all day, you know.

0:40:28 > 0:40:32We were walking along the main road and we passed the hairdressers

0:40:32 > 0:40:36and the door opened and a young lady just stuck her head out at me.

0:40:36 > 0:40:39And we went to her and asked, "What's wrong?"

0:40:39 > 0:40:41She spoke good English, she said, "Have you come to stay?"

0:40:41 > 0:40:45We said, "Yes, this is the invasion, we're here to stay."

0:40:45 > 0:40:49So she called her dad. He came out and said, "Come on," so we went in.

0:40:49 > 0:40:52He shook hands with us,

0:40:52 > 0:40:56and the girl gave us a cuddle and a kiss - glad to see you, you know.

0:40:56 > 0:41:00And he brought a bottle of champagne, and he got glasses.

0:41:00 > 0:41:04That's the first time we ever had a glass of champagne!

0:41:04 > 0:41:05So that was good!

0:41:10 > 0:41:13Towards the evening, we were called back onto the beach,

0:41:13 > 0:41:17and we had to get the beach ready for any attack that come in,

0:41:17 > 0:41:18so we couldn't sleep.

0:41:21 > 0:41:25The day went so fast, you know. We couldn't realise what we'd done.

0:41:27 > 0:41:29It was a job, yeah.

0:41:29 > 0:41:33You had no feelings at all - only fear, you know.

0:41:36 > 0:41:39It feels like it happened yesterday.

0:41:39 > 0:41:43It's in your mind all the time. It's something you don't forget.

0:41:49 > 0:41:51That's it from us for today.

0:41:51 > 0:41:55Tomorrow, James Holland tells the story of a small team of men

0:41:55 > 0:41:57with a special D-Day mission.

0:41:57 > 0:42:01The mission between the two of them was to get across the Channel,

0:42:01 > 0:42:04because there were three possible D-Days,

0:42:04 > 0:42:07so obviously we had to go across to prepare for the first one.

0:42:07 > 0:42:11We hear from two French veterans who joined the Allied forces

0:42:11 > 0:42:13to liberate their country.

0:42:13 > 0:42:16We came in straight after it was liberated,

0:42:16 > 0:42:19and they started to speak English to us.

0:42:19 > 0:42:23But we had 'France' on our shoulders. I said, "We're French!"

0:42:23 > 0:42:26And Dan Snow looks at the impact of the weather

0:42:26 > 0:42:28on the operation's planning.

0:42:28 > 0:42:29The Germans were caught out,

0:42:29 > 0:42:32not because they weren't any good at forecasting,

0:42:32 > 0:42:36but because they thought we wouldn't possibly try and launch an invasion

0:42:36 > 0:42:40based on that forecast. So we made the right decision.

0:42:40 > 0:42:42Join me again tomorrow morning

0:42:42 > 0:42:44when I'll be with D-Day veterans

0:42:44 > 0:42:47at the Historic Dockyard here in Portsmouth

0:42:47 > 0:42:50for our final part of D-Day 70 - The Heroes Remember.