Sir, I have returned from a memorable and inspirational few days in Normandy during the 70th D-Day commemorations. Travelling with our party was a D-Day veteran, an 88-year-old ex-Royal Marine, who as an 18-year-old on D-Day had helped ferry the initial British assault troops ashore on to Sword Beach.

Many of his comrades never returned home. My own memory of D-Day was a little less dramatic — as a five-year-old I remember we had been ‘evacuated’ to Hayling Island on the south coast to avoid the bombings in Portsmouth.

Suddenly the area was filled with hundreds of soldiers with their tents, tanks, guns etc.

There was a strict security curfew on all adults but as a child I was allowed out to play with our small black dog and wandered quite safely among all the soldiers — who kept calling me “Blondie” on account of my fair hair.

As suddenly as they appeared — they had all gone — and I wonder now what their fate was. Little did those men know then what an important and significant part they were about to play in the history of the war and for our freedom. I just hope that all these years later, we can continue to pay tribute to these brave men and the sacrifice that they made, by valuing their selflessness and living up to their expectations.

Wanda Oberman

Main Street

East Hanney