D-day veterans: now and then – in pictures

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/31/d-day-veterans-now-and-then-in-pictures

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Ron Minton, 94, poses for a portrait at his home in Derby. Minton, of the Royal Norfolk Regiment, landed in Normandy and soon found himself in a fierce battle for Château de la Londe, which was heavily defended by SS Panzergrenadier Regiment 25.

L/Bdr Neville Foote, 99, of the Scottish Horse unit of the 79th Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery, was one of the first troops to breach enemy lines in Normandy – in his case by accident. After landing on Juno beach, which was strewn with the bodies of comrades, Neville and his unit of gunners had advanced nine miles inland, close to the strategic city of Caen. He and the other gunners came across a group of Panzer tanks, whose crewmen were standing smoking cigarettes. Realising they had advanced too far, too quickly, they crawled back two miles to the allied frontline and French-Canadian Sherman tanks. Foote will not make the trip to Normandy this year, due to his ailing health, but will be with them in mind and spirit from his home in Bury.

Infantryman Bob Laverty, 94, from Sefton in Merseyside, served with the 59th Staffordshire Regiment and then the Royal Scots Fusiliers. He landed on the beaches at D-day and battled towards Bayeux, where he and his comrades dug in at the cathedral before pushing on to liberate the village of Thury-Harcourt.

Matthew Toner, 93, was one of the first serviceman to land on Normandy beaches. He joined the Royal Navy in 1941 aged 16 and saw service at Anzio and Salerno in Italy. D-day followed and, after picking up troops and heavy transport vehicles in Southampton, Toner set sail as part of Operation Overlord in a flotilla of more than 5,000 ships, with his vessel landing at Juno beach. It will be the first time Toner, from West Kirby in Merseyside, has returned to the D-day beaches. He is one of the veterans travelling to Normandy for the 75th anniversary commemorations with the charity D-day Revisited, a trip made all the more poignant as it is the last the charity will organise.

RAF Sgt Bernard Morgan was a 20-year-old code and cipher operator in June 1944, part of the 2nd Tactical Air Force. During the first three days after D-day, his ship was moored a few hundred yards off Gold beach with his top secret Typex cipher machine, but was unable to move as allied forces had not advanced enough to ensure the equipment’s safety. His role was to encrypt messages for pilots. Now 95, Morgan lives in Crewe, Cheshire.

L/Cpl Tony Huntbach of the 70th (Young Soldiers) Battalion, the King’s Regiment/8th (Liverpool) Battalion, landed on Juno beach 20 minutes after H-hour, which marked the start of the airborne assault. Huntbach, 94, from Fylde in Lancashire, volunteered for duty with the airborne forces and saw action at Pegasus bridge and went on to fight in Operation Varsity, which involved the capture of a bridge over the River Issel in Germany. Huntbach was slightly wounded after his glider was hit by anti-aircraft fire.

John Dennett, 94, from Wallasey in Merseyside, crewed a landing craft dropping off American troops on Omaha beach. He and his crew made a further 15 crossings to Normandy, delivering troops and supplies to the battlefront. Dennett also took part in beach landings during Operation Torch in north Africa, and in Sicily, Salerno and Anzio in Italy.