Our D-Day Army veterans
On the morning of 6 June 1944, a staggering 150,000 troops invaded France, landing on five different beaches on the Normandy coast.
The British landed at Sword and Gold beaches, the Canadians at Juno and the Americans at Utah and Omaha. Thousands would never make it home. The fighting was fierce but strategically successful and from there they continued on, turning the tide of the war.
Meet our land veterans
Meet blind veterans Harry, John and Richard. They were just 22, 23 and 19 respectively when they fought to liberate Europe in 1944.
Harry's story: The first wave at Sword Beach
Sent on a detour to destroy a gun battery on the beach, Harry narrowly avoided enemy attack.
John's story: Avoiding mines at Gold Beach
With his famous Desert Rats 7th Armoured Division, John navigated his way into France - and saw the horrors of war.
Richard's story: Normandy in a tank
Mechanic Richard joined the tank corps when he was just 18, despite not having a clue what a tank was.
Bill dodged enemy fire to survive the landing
A driver and motorcyclist, Bill's unit was responsible for keeping the third Battalion Monmouthshire regiment supplied with provisions. When he landed, the beach was burning and he remembers seeing a big German gun on the clifftop firing at them as they came to shore.
He managed to get up the beach with his vehicle and continue on, but says the regiment he was with was "annihilated".
Raymond fought the Germans at Arromanches
Army veteran, Raymond, landed at Arromanches where the Germans had dug into the natural defences. He remembers the Royal Engineers blowing a hole through the concrete sea wall so their trucks could pass through.
Once half a mile inland, they took shelter in a cider apple orchard and, typical army boys, had to try the apples. They were so sour, he swore he'd never touch cider ever again, adding, "It was the best time of my life. Everybody was your friend. All you had to look for to find a friend was the uniform. See that? Friend."
Raymond sadly passed away just before the 80th anniversary of D-Day, at the age of 100.
Ken waterproofed the vehicles before landing
Ken shared his D-Day memories with us just before he sadly passed away in April 2024, aged 101. He told us that, before leaving for the beaches, his unit were given pills to take to put their minds at ease.
He drove onto Sword Beach at 7:30am, having waterproofed the vehicles by extending the exhaust pipe and sealing it up. He said the beach was noisy and the Germans were waiting for them. Asked if he was scared, Ken simply said: "You had to do it. That was it."
George was part of the second flotilla
As an engineer supporting the Royal Army Medical Corps, George landed on Jig beach, a section of Gold Beach. He says, "We drove up, we unloaded, and we swept up the beach." After that, they headed into France and it was a case of "just fighting and taking over, and settling and then resettling."
More than anything, George remembers the banter among his comrades, saying, "There was always somebody who was frightened and those who wanted to pull his leg."
Donate now
It's been 80 years since D-Day but our blind veterans are still having to fight for their independence. Sight loss can be desperately isolating for the elderly and without the right equipment and support, our D-Day heroes will be unable to leave their homes.
Please be there for them today.
Read more
Armed Forces Month
Commemorate D-Day 80 and Armed Forces Day in June as you raise vital funds for our blind veterans.
Our D-Day Navy veterans
Thomas, Joe and Bob were just teenagers when they crossed the channel on ships providing vital defence support.
D-Day: A military operation like no other
Our CEO, Adrian Bell, writes about the extraordinary planning behind the largest amphibious invasion of all time.
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