Heroes’ last salute – Famous D-Day warriors return to invasion beach 81 years on

Standing on the exact spot where giants fell, these are the last men standing from the greatest generation. 

D-Day warriors Ken Hay, Jim Grant, Richard Aldred, Henry Rice and John Dennett – the Famous Five – returned to Sword Beach yesterday for a heroic last stand. 

Their poignant salute on the eve of the 81st anniversary of the mighty Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France was a chance to remember fallen comrades.

It was here on June 6, 1944, that tens of thousands of soldiers scrambled ashore amid a ferocious volley of fire. 

For the band of brothers who returned – all recipients of France’s highest order of merit The Legion of Honour – it was an overwhelming moment.

The giants took centre stage at a moving open-air service in the centre of the coastal commune known as Colleville-sur-Orne until it was renamed Colleville-Montgomery in honour of Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery who commanded the invasion.  

Underneath a statue of his grandfather the current Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, Henry, led a moving dedication and wreath-laying service. 

Addressing the D-Day lionhearts he described them as the “last living witnesses” of the fight for freedom.

He said: “You experienced horrors no one should have to experience. It is thanks to these veterans and their comrades that we have enjoyed a period of unprecedented peace and freedom in Europe. We will never forget your sacrifice and, on behalf of all of us, thank you.”

Afterwards, as the wheelchair-bound heroes were paraded through the streets to the stirring sound of a pipe band, they were clapped, cheered and mobbed by families who wanted to show their gratitude.

Awestruck little Henry Hartsuiker, 2, wearing a jacket and tartan kilt, was proud to salute and shake the hand of war hero John Dennett, 100, in a touching display of gratitude that eclipsed generations. 

And veterans, including 100-year-old Dorothea Barron, who joined the Women’s Royal Naval Service in 1943 aged 18, later had the chance to meet 70 pupils aged between 10 and 17 from St Germain-en-Laye school in Paris at a reception in Ranville, near Caen.

Teacher Sylvie Dupuis brought the children to Normandy especially so they could hear the testimonies of those who served. 

She said: “It is important for the children to learn about D-Day and French liberation from those who helped deliver it. And with what is happening in the world right now it is perhaps more important than ever for them to know that peace can happen.”

Ranville holds particular significance for the British and was the first village to be liberated by elements of the 6th Airborne Division on the morning of June 6, 1944 when the nearby Pegasus Bridge was attacked and captured. The cemetery contains the grave of Lieutenant Den Brotheridge – the first Allied death on D-Day.

The allied invasion of Normandy was the largest in history. More than 156,000 men landed on D-Day – of which 83,000 were from Britain and the Commonwealth.

More than 250,000 more supported operations from air and sea while the French Resistance carried out extraordinary acts of bravery behind enemy lines. 

Richard Palusinski, Chairman of Spirit of Normandy Trust, the charity with which the veterans returned, said: “This visit is massively important and gives them the opportunity to reflect, remember and, in so many cases, to lay ghosts. The visit to Normandy is one of the events they keep in their diaries and, I strongly believe, gives them a target to aim for, a reason to stay alive.”

Defence Secretary, John Healey MP said: “We forever owe an enormous debt to the British and allied forces who landed in Normandy 81 years ago today, determined to defeat Nazi tyranny and restore peace to western Europe. As we reset the nation’s contract with our Armed Forces, we will continue to remember all those who served to defend our values.”