Reginald Pye, 99, Royal Engineers
A driver carrying sappers, mines and ammunition. While moving through Normandy 14 days after D-Day he gave a 14-year-old girl his evening meal of a slice of bread with jam and a tin of pilchards. The next day he found she had half-filled his mess tin with milk and left a note on the back of a picture of herself, which Reg has kept in his wallet ever since.
Alec Penston, 98, Legion of Honour, Royal Navy
Trained as a submarine detector and prior to the landings served in the Arctic Convoys. Was on the escort aircraft carrier HMS Campania during the Normandy Campaign.
Jack Quinn, 98, Croix de Guerre, Legion of Honour, Royal Marines
Coxswain of a landing craft. Crept into Normandy under cover of darkness on the night of June 5. His job was to take in frogmen who were to blow up mines on the beach obstacles. He was then tasked to run into the beach at Arromanches and pick up a man and a woman. He also disobeyed instructions to rescue a French crew whose boat was on fire.
Richard Aldred, 98, Legion of Honour, Royal Armoured Corps
Landed Cromwell Tank on the Mulberry Harbour. On August 26 his tank was destroyed but he was given a replacement. Was in the push to Belgium, Holland and Berlin, driving under the Brandenburg Gate.
Henry Rice, 97, Legion of Honour, Royal Navy
Signalman on HMS Eastway, a landing ship (dock) used to supply men and equipment as needed to the various beaches.
Cyril Stanley (Stan) Ford, 98, Legion of Honour, Royal Navy
Served on HMS Fratton, an escort ship for craft taking men and supplies across the Channel on D-Day and afterwards. She was sunk. The mine explosion was so severe the gun platform Stan was operating was blown off the ship and into the water with him still on it.
Ken Hay, 97, MBE Legion of Honour, 4th Dorset Regiment
Landed at Courseulles-sur-Mer. Nine of his unit were killed during a night raid a month later. Sixteen escaped, including his brother, and Ken was captured with four others. Put to work in a coal mine in Zabrze, Poland. As a PoW, forced to participate in The Long March during the final stages of the war.
