London: Donald, Ken and Henry wear their medals with pride but reject the title of hero despite being among the last British veterans to take part in the D-Day invasion of Normandy in June 1944.
Flash forward 100 years or so, the trio told AFP that their current mission is to bear witness to history and tell the story of the Second World War to the younger generation as the country prepares for the 80th anniversary of the major military operation.
Decades later, memories of the incident remain vivid and vivid.
Ken Hay, 98, stepped onto Juno Beach in Courseulles-sur-Mer on June 6, just a few days after the first wave of soldiers landed.
“I’m not a hero, I’m not going to pretend to be one, but that’s part of the adventure.”
On his way to the land checkpoint, he was attacked from behind by German soldiers and captured along with four other members of the regiment.
He was then taken by train with dozens of other prisoners to Poland and sent to work in a coal mine.
But Russian troops advancing from the east forced the Germans to vacate the camp, and the prisoners had to go hundreds of kilometers to the west.
Haye was eventually freed by American forces and flown back to Europe two days before Victory in Europe – May 8, 1945 – the date of Germany’s surrender.
Henry Rice, 98, was in charge of communications on the landing ship HMS Eastway, sending equipment to soldiers on the beaches of Normandy.
“I was 50 percent excited, 50 percent unsure,” he recalled of his assignment. “Too big for one man, too many ships.”
But his attention was drawn to the memory of the thousands killed on the French coast, including some 1,500 Britons on the first day.
“The mental image of a man in the water, I don’t like to think that way.”
After participating in the Normandy landings, Rice served in the Mediterranean and Asia until Japan surrendered, marking the end of the global conflict.
“I feel blessed,” she said.
Compared to other veterans, he said, “I’m especially for the soldiers who landed and survived.”
“I am very proud of them. I am not as dangerous as they are,” he said, despite firing several enemy torpedoes.
Donald Hawkins, 103, landed two days after D-Day and recalled being “terrified”.
“The sea was very rough and the barge went up and down. But I was fine when I was on the coast. You only get what you need to.”
Asked how he was feeling ahead of his 80th birthday celebrations, which are expected to be attended by many heads of state, he joked that he was “bloody old”.
Hawkins has attended several commemorations in Normandy, but won’t be going this year because he uses a wheelchair and the journey is difficult.
But Ken Haye expects to be there and experience “mixed” emotions.
“It’s very sad when you go to the cemetery … but it’s also interesting to meet French citizens,” he said, especially children who are taught about historical events in school.
“They know us, they want to shake your hand … it’s a good atmosphere.”
Like his friend before him, he felt it was very important to continue the story of World War II for the younger generation.
“I could have warned them about the threat of war, but I chose to speak to the country’s leaders, stop it,” he said.
“We have been through these terrible things in our lifetime,” he said, tears welling in his eyes as he recalled the conflicts that have ravaged the world since World War II.
