Two surviving British veterans among 13 honoured with plaques on D-Day memorial wall
John Roberts and Stan Ford both served in the Navy on D-Day. They are being presented with their own plaques on the Normandy Memorial Wall in Portsmouth to mark 100 days until the 80th annviersary of the landings.
Tuesday 27 February 2024 03:54, UK
A group of thirteen soldiers, sailors and airmen are having their names added to the Normandy Memorial Wall to mark 100 days until the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
On 6 June 1944, allied troops launched a joint naval, air and land assault on occupied France - the beginning of their advance to liberate Europe from the Nazis - and eventually win the war a year later.
To mark the countdown to the anniversary, two surviving British veterans are being presented with their own plaques for the memorial in Portsmouth on Tuesday. Two other surviving veterans are being honoured, alongside nine in memoriam.
Portsmouth will host the UK's D-Day commemorations later this year, which will be broadcast live and led by personnel from the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
Events at Southsea Common will focus on surviving veterans' stories and feature an RAF flypast and military display. There will also be a ceremony at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire for members of the public unable to travel to events in Normandy to pay their respects.
The men being commemorated on the wall are:
John Roberts, UK
Now 99 and living in Kent, John Roberts served in the Navy between 1938 and 1978.
On D-Day, his ship HMS Serapis was at the front of the convoy, just behind the minesweepers that were clearing a safe path through the Channel.
A Norwegian destroyer just beside them was hit and sank within five minutes. Mr Roberts's ship arrived off Sword Beach at 7.30am on 6 June. The ship continued to fire on German positions along the coast until 11 days into the invasion.
He said: "It's humbling to see the nation come together to remember D-Day and those who fell during the Normandy landings.
"I will never forget that day, and I'm proud to know that the British people won't forget either. I hope that the commemorations in June will help a whole new generation understand the sacrifices made on their behalf."
Stan Ford, UK
As a 19-year-old, Stan served on HMS Fratton, an escort ship that accompanied vessels taking men and supplies across the Channel on D-Day and beyond.
HMS Fratton was sunk off the Normandy coast on 18 August 1944.
Thirty-eight crew were picked up but 31 died.
The explosion was so severe that the gun platform Mr Ford was operating was blown off the ship and into the water, with him still on it.
He was rescued and taken to a field hospital on Gold Beach, but his injuries have meant he has walked with leg callipers all his life.
William Howard Cameron, Canada
On D-Day, William Howard was in charge of supplying ammunition for the anti-aircraft guns on board his ship, HMCS Kitchener.
The ship fired throughout D-Day to repel attacking German planes.
He is one of the few living Canadian veterans who have expressed an interest in returning to Normandy in June.
Max Wolff, The Netherlands
The last surviving veteran of his unit, Max Wolff was a Jewish refugee from Arnhem who lost 289 members of his family in the Holocaust.
After he spent four years on the run in Belgium and France, he decided to join the Free Dutch Army in the UK, and with help from the Belgian resistance, he travelled from Brussels to Normandy when he heard that the allies had landed.
He received military training in the UK and was assigned to a Dutch unit before an attachment with a British Army unit as an interpreter.
He served in France and then Belgium in August 1944 to support the allies' liberation of France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
François August Venesoen, Belgium
François August Venesoen served in No. 350 (Belgian) Squadron of the UK's RAF.
It is thought that he was killed during a patrol mission on D-Day.
In recognition of his sacrifice, he was awarded a distinguished flying cross for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty performed while flying in active operations against the enemy".
Miroslav Moravec, Czech Republic
A Czech pilot fighting for the RAF, Miroslav Moravec died on 7 June 1944 while taking off from Appledram Airport for a patrol flight over the invasion beaches in Normandy.
His mother, father and younger brother were among the closest collaborators of the paratroopers Jan Kubiš and Josef Gabčík from the Anthropoid paragroup in Prague who, on 27 May 1942, assassinated the Reich Protector Reinhard Heydrich.
Kaj Birksted, Denmark
Kaj served in 11th Flying Group RAF during the invasion of Normandy.
He led and directed the fighter pilots protecting the landing beaches from the air, continuing in the role throughout the liberation and for the remainder of the war.
Léon Gautier, France
Léon was the longest surviving Frenchman to participate in D-Day.
He joined the Free French Movement in London in 1940.
In response to his death in July 2023, President Emmanuel Macron described him as having "united the virtues of a warrior and those of a peacemaker".
Georgios Panagiotopoulos, Greece
On D-Day, Commander Georgios Panagiotopoulos was captain of HS Tompazis, one of the two corvettes of the Hellenic Navy that participated in the Normandy Landings.
The ship was given to Greece by the Royal Navy in November 1943.
Mr Panagiotopoulos was awarded a War Cross 3rd Class on 6 June 1944 and a Medal of Excellence for the actions of his ship during the operation.
Neil W. Harton, New Zealand
Lieutenant Neil W. Harton began his service in the New Zealand Armed Forces in 1940.
On D-Day he commanded Motor Torpedo Boats (MTB) 630 and 741 in 55th Flotilla, which led the invasion fleet across the English Channel.
He and his crew were responsible for clearing safe paths through the minefields.
After D-Day he was involved in patrolling the beaches between Arromanches and Le Havre.
Jimmie W. Monteith Jr, USA
Mr Monteith served in the 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, and landed with the initial assault waves on D-Day near Colleville-sur-Mer under heavy enemy fire.
He was killed when the enemy surrounded his unit and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his "courage, gallantry, and intrepid leadership".
Before that he had moved up and down the beach to organise personnel for a further assault before leading two tanks safely through a minefield into firing positions and a successful assault on a cliff.
Richard Pirrie, Australia
Richard Pirrie was killed on D-Day - his 24th birthday - when his ship was simultaneously hit by artillery fire and a mine.
He was one of 500 Royal Australian Navy personnel serving in the British fleet. That day he was tasked with getting as close as possible to Juno Beach to locate and destroy German gun positions
Mr Pirrie was posthumously awarded a mention in despatches for his "gallantry, leadership and determination" on D-Day.
Stanisław Maczek, Poland
General Stanisław Maczek was a Polish military commander known for leading the 1st Armoured Division, notably during the Battle of Normandy and the liberation of France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.