D-Day veterans return to Normandy as 98 missing names are added to memorial

Two Normandy veterans have returned to France for the 82nd anniversary of D-Day, as families, veterans and younger generations gathered to remember the Allied landings of 6 June 1944.

Ken Hay and Henry Rice, both now 100, were among those taking part in a weekend of commemorations across Normandy, including services at Sword Beach and the British Normandy Memorial at Ver-sur-Mer.

This BFBS video follows their return to the beaches where Allied forces landed in 1944, as the number of veterans still able to share first-hand memories of D-Day continues to fall.

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The commemorations took place Colleville-Montgomery, a small village on Sword Beach, where a service was held beside a statue of Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, who commanded Allied ground forces during the Normandy campaign.

"I really, really appreciate the kindness and the attitude of everybody, just look at them, they applaud, both of us, the two veterans that we've got here at the moment, and I love it," Henry said with a warm smile. 

The field marshal's grandson, Henry Montgomery, attended the service, alongside local resident Blanche Boulet, 107, who worked as a nurse during the campaign and treated wounded Allied personnel for 63 days.

Ken and Henry later marched back towards the beaches, stopping for photographs and speaking to those who had gathered to mark the anniversary.

At the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, 98 more names were officially added to the 22,442 British and Commonwealth personnel already commemorated there.

They included Capt Dennis Ashley Edwards, the great uncle of James Edwards, and Sgt John Edward Purling, whose son Michael Purling pointed out his father's newly added inscription.

Just after dawn on 6 June, Henry Montgomery neared the end of a special walk marking the anniversary.

He was joined by Will Ramsay, grandson of Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay, who commanded the naval forces for the Normandy landings.

The main commemorative event was then held at the British Normandy Memorial, attended by Ken, Henry and other veterans of the Normandy campaign and the Second World War.

Both Ken and Henry welcomed the number of young people at this year's ceremonies.

Ken spends much of his time speaking to youth groups about what he and his comrades went through. 

Henry has warned that future generations may struggle to understand the importance of the Normandy landings as the number of veterans able to tell their story continues to fall.

Eighty-two years after the landings, the commemorations remain centred on those who were there.