July 2024

80th Anniversary of D-Day

By Callum Reid, Vercity Finance Manager.

In June 2024, I had the profound honour of accompanying my good friend, Donald Turrell, as his companion/carer on a trip to Normandy, France, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day. This journey, which was organised by the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans, was an unforgettable experience and it was filled with moments of deep reflection, gratitude and connection.

Leading up to this trip, it was touch-and-go as to whether Don was going to make it back to the beaches after he had a fall at his flat and over a month in hospital. Fortunately, that determined war spirit drove him to get back on his feet and to be well enough to cross the Channel.

Day 1 and 2: Southwick House, Portsmouth

Our journey began with me driving down from Leeds to Frinton-on-Sea where we were picked up by our taxi driver, Dean. We were taken to the Holiday Inn at Brentwood for a stopover before heading to Portsmouth the following day to meet up with the rest of the veterans, volunteers and taxi drivers.

We were driven to Southwick House which was the headquarters of the main allied commanders during the planning and commencement of Operation Overlord. There was a photo opportunity for the Press in front of the large wall maps that were used on D-Day and which still have pride of place in the house. Afterwards, the BBC interviewed the D-Day veterans and this was followed by a sit down meal served by Royal Navy personnel.

About 40 veterans of WW2 were present at the event, supported by various charities, which was a poignant and moving thing to witness.

Day 3: Ferry to Caen

After our final full English breakfast before departing on the ferry, I wheeled Don down to the Portsmouth Naval Memorial where his older brother, Leslie Turrell, is commemorated. Leslie was a Telegraphist on HMS Penelope when it was sunk, off the coast of Anzio, by a torpedo from German submarine U-410. He was aged just 21 and was one of the 417 crew members killed on 18th February 1944.

Unfortunately, the memorial had been closed off due to rehearsals for the official D-Day commemorations which were taking place that week. Despite considerable discussions with the event’s security team, our pleas and those of the several police officers supporting our request fell on deaf ears. Even though the police officers offered to accompany Don on his short journey to see the memorial, this wheelchair-bound, D-Day veteran was possibly denied his last opportunity to see his brother‘s name commemorated on the memorial because he was deemed a potential security risk. As you can imagine, this was upsetting and frustrating for both Don and those on the side of common sense.

Don didn’t let this incident dampen his spirit as clearly evidenced by his response to the ferry border control when asked to present his passport. He joked, “I didn’t need a passport when I crossed the channel to France 80 years ago!”

Following a smooth crossing with plenty of entertainment laid on, we arrived in France at around 10pm and headed straight to the hotel for a nightcap before bed.

Day 4: Pegasus Bridge and St. Manvieu War Cemetery

Our convoy of London taxis started the day by heading to the Memorial Museum at Pegasus Bridge for the first memorial service of the week. A police escort allowed us to navigate the traffic seamlessly and, upon arrival at the bridge, the taxis were met with applause and cheers from the public. The veterans were rightly treated like celebrities and, as you can see from the attached video, Don absolutely loved it!

We joined hundreds of other attendees, including dignitaries, military personnel and fellow veterans, in honouring the bravery and sacrifice of those who fought on D-Day and in the battle for Normandy. Another Charity, called the Best Defence Foundation, was there and I was overwhelmed to hear that they had brought across 50 American WW2 veterans on a Delta Airlines chartered flight straight into Normandy. Seeing all these men and women of the allied forces reunited once again, in many cases for the last time, was both an incredible experience and a sombre moment.

The speeches, wreath-laying ceremonies and moments of silence were profoundly moving. Particularly one harrowing speech from Marie Scott, a 98 year old WREN, whose role on D-Day was as a switchboard operator, listening to and collating messages from those on the beaches. When she finally got a connection to what was happening on the beaches, she explained that she could hear everything – gunfire, moving machinery, mortars and bombs exploding, machine guns firing and men screaming.

Upon departing the museum, we headed for lunch at Colleville Montgomery. Then, unexpectedly and sadly, due to no fault of our own, we ended up with a free afternoon. Our veterans had been scheduled to attend the commemoration service at Bayeux CWG where they would have met Princess Anne. However, our veterans, unlike many attending with other charities, need a sizable support team of taxin drivers and carers due to their mobility and health issues. The Royal British Legion, who were managing the event, advised us that, due to limited capacity, our veterans could only attend with a very limited supporting team in place. Consequently, myself, Don and our taxi driver, Dean, headed to St. Manvieu War Cemetery along with another WW2 veteran, Doug Baldwin.

There are 2,047 casualties buried in St Manvieu, of which 1,627 are Commonwealth war graves and 555 are German war graves. St Manvieu is located 8km or so west of Caen in an area where heavy fighting took place in the battle for Hill 112. This was one of the most decisive battles of the second world war and cost the lives of 10,000 men with this site being known as ‘Death Valley’. Don fought here and watched many of his friends die.

Pvt. William Carr, Pvt. Thomas Freeburn and Sgt. Robert Bremner, who were all members of the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) regiment, were killed on 26th June 1944. Don volunteered to collect their bodies; remove their dog tags; and bury them in temporary graves. We were able to visit the graves of each of his pals where he spoke profoundly about the loss of war and how so many young men missed out on living a good and long life.

St. Manvieu also holds a particular significance in my life. Sgt. James Dargie, my great grandfather, was killed on 16th July 1944 by direct mortar fire in the battle for Hill 112. He left behind a wife and four young children – my Grandma being the second oldest at 8 years of age. Shortly before Grandma Sheila passed away in 2018, she told me the story of how a little girl had come up to her in the street in Aberdeen and told her that her Dad had been killed in France. Grandma ran back to the small family flat on Wales Street, Aberdeen, where she was greeted by the sight of her mother in a hysteric state, clutching onto a brown telegram and surrounded by neighbours trying to console her. Grandma spent her whole life telling herself that her father must’ve managed to escape and that he couldn’t have passed away until she visited St. Manvieu cemetery back in the early 2000’s with my Grandfather, my Dad and my Uncle where she was able to see his headstone and close the loop on the loss of her Dad.

In 2019, I travelled with a friend to take part in the 75th Anniversary D-Day commemorations and to visit Sgt. James Dargie’s grave for the first time and that was when I met Don. Having the opportunity five years later on to introduce my now close friend, Don, to my Great Grandfather in a cemetery which means so much to both of us was an incredibly emotional experience which I feel fortunate to have shared with him.

Day 5: D-Day 80

I thought I would start this section by explaining a bit about Don. Born in Battersea, on 27th June 1925 to a Scottish mother from Dunfermline, he was 17 years old when he volunteered for the Army and joined the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) regiment. Like many teenagers around that time, he lied about his age in order to fight for his country and the freedoms we all continue to enjoy 80 years later.

He was 18 years old by the time he landed on Sword beach, a few days after 6th June. After being told to expect a dry landing, he disembarked from the landing craft into water that was up to his neck. He can vividly remember the bodies from the previous days’ fighting bobbing around in the water with the tide. Those who were of a shorter stature or were unfortunate to land in deeper water succumbed to drowning due to being weighed down by the gear they were carrying.

Don shared many more personal stories with me about the realities of the ensuing fighting in Normandy. By sharing these tales which he’s kept secret for so long, he has found closure to some of these traumatic events.

Our morning, 80 years later to the day of some of these memories, consisted of a visit to Ranville War Cemetery where commemorations were held for all those lost in conflicts both past and present. Only four or so of the more able-bodied WW2 veterans from the Taxi Charity were invited to the televised British Normandy Memorial for the official D-Day 80 event attended by the King and senior political figures. I believe this was again due to the level of support and care the Taxi Charity needs to provide to its veterans which would have been too much to accommodate.

At the Ranville War Cemetery, a pipe band, who had travelled across from the Netherlands, performed a melody of various bagpipe classics for the veterans. It was a sombre moment watching these heroes brought to tears by the power of music and the memories sparked by these sounds. Despite being wheelchair bound, you could see Don tapping his feet and clicking his fingers to the sounds of his Scottish Cameronian days.

After, we headed for lunch followed by an afternoon trip to Le Grand Bunker for more commemorations near Sword Beach. By this stage, after several long days of travelling and events, both the veterans and their supporting team were exhausted.

Days 6: Pegasus Bridge Beers

On Day 6, there was a much-needed slowdown in pace. We headed to Grangues, via Pegasus Bridge, for a service at the church. The weather was superb. The Dutch Pipe Band was there along with several vintage WW2 vehicles.

In the evening,we attended a gala dinner at Pegasus Bridge where the Pipe Band appeared yet again! The majority of the taxis and veterans headed off at around 8pm. However, three of the veterans had a desire to carry on the night down at Café Gondrée right by the bridge, which is believed to be the first building liberated in France by British Paratroopers of the Glider Regiments. We wheeled down the nearly 100-year-olds, Don Turrell, Doug Baldwin and Dickie Forrester to the Café and got them set up with beers and buckets for raising money for the charity.

This was particularly impressive feat by Dickie, who had just spent the 5th June in a French hospital where he’d underwent a general anaesthetic in order to remove a bit of bone stuck in a section of his throat and who had then proceeded to apologise to others on the trip because he’d missed the D-Day commemorations. That generation is truly made of sterner stuff.

My school friend, Sam Snowden, and his dad, Peter, who were visiting Normandy for D-Day 80, met up with us at the Café. After hearing about an earlier trip that I went on with Don last September, Sam and another friend, Macauley, had generously committed to running the Leeds Marathon in May to fundraise for the Taxi Charity. They raised over £1,100 and it was so good to be able to introduce Sam to the veterans.

This was a wonderfully joyous evening watching three of the last surviving D-Day veterans sharing a beer beneath the setting sun and against the backdrop of this historical café, sharing their stories and experiences with all those who wanted to hear.

There was a particularly poignant moment where a small boy of around 5 years old came across the veterans to get their signatures and photos. Every veteran I had the privilege of meeting on this trip mentioned the importance of remembrance and the duty of future generations to carry this on.

Day 7: Eterville and Departure

We checked out of the hotel in the morning and everyone headed to the British Normandy Memorial. By everyone, I mean everyone excluding myself, Don and Dean, the taxi driver. That’s because we had a meeting with a photographer, Robin Savage, in Eterville.

On 10th July 1944, Don was fighting in a treeline around the small village of Eterville where his company were pinned down under heavy machine gun fire. The sound of the German moaning minnies (mortar bombs) caused Don to take cover in the roots of a tree along with the rest of his company who were spread throughout the section of forest. After the raining onslaught had ceased, Don cried out to see if anyone would respond. One gentleman faintly responded and attempted to lift himself off the ground before succumbing to his wounds. Upon realising the severity of the situation and of the catastrophic injuries sustained to his left ankle, Don used his rifle as a crutch to limp his way round to where a supporting division was stationed in order to report what had happened. Further German attacks began on that location too and Don witnessed a Half Track vehicle get hit by mortar fire and its passengers being thrown to their deaths before he was swiftly evacuated back to the Normandy coastline.

This was the end of Don’s fighting in the war but not the end of the battle with his injuries. He spent three years in hospitals around the UK having operations to remove shrapnel from various places in his body and improve the functionality of his foot. Even now, he still has shrapnel in parts of his body that cause him pain and discomfort.

After we said our goodbyes to both Robin and the wonderful French family who owned the Château, we headed for a quick photo opportunity at Sword beach with the other veterans then onwards to the ferry terminal for our journey back to old Blighty.

Day 8: Gun Fun and Goodbye

On arrival back in Portsmouth, the majority of those on the trip headed straight home. However, Don and a couple of other veterans had an extra night in the hotel as they were due to attend the Southwick Revival 1940’s weekend event.

They were treated like celebrities at the event and, rightly so, received a shoutout and standing ovation from all those in the Ballroom tent. I wheeled Don to a stall which had a collection of WW2 rifles and guns. This brought back lots of memories for him and he couldn’t believe how heavy they were from what he remembers of carrying them all them years ago. He even had me dress up in webbing with a Bren gun for his own amusement! This was a great little bonus to such a wonderful week.

The three hour journey back to Frinton on Sea, and thus reality, was a more silent affair than the journey there. I said goodbye to my friend, Don, and gave him a big hug as we both wiped a tear or two from our eyes.

The departure signalled the end of my week’s annual leave. A further four hour journey back up to Leeds for myself then straight into bed ready for work the following morning was a tough gig.

Thoughts and Reflections

Accompanying Don to Normandy for the 80th anniversary of D-Day was a profoundly moving experience. Witnessing the ceremonies and visiting the historic sites provided a deeper understanding of the immense bravery and sacrifice of those who fought. The trip reinforced the importance of remembering and honouring our history and I am incredibly grateful to the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans for making this journey possible. The onus the Charity places on Veteran wellbeing and care is industry leading. Veterans such as Don would not be able to make the trip back with other Charities due to the level of care required.

The realities of providing 24/7 care for an almost 99 year old gentleman has been one of the most challenging and exhausting jobs I have ever done. It has given me a greater appreciation of the work that carers do across the UK for all those who need support. That being said, this has been one of the most fulfilling weeks of my life and the impact that the trip has had on Don has been a delight to see.

This trip was more than just a commemoration; it was a heartfelt tribute to the courage and resilience of all those who fought for our freedom. It was a privilege to share this experience with the last remaining Veterans and to be part of such a significant event. The memories, connections and stories made during this trip will remain with me forever.