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4 months ago
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Live Reporting
Edited by Owen Amos
All times stated are UK
'It was something that had to be done,' says D-Day veteran
Bill Johnston was just 21 when he landed at Gold Beach on D-Day. He was one of the first ashore and his unit pushed into France after the landings.
A few weeks into the invasion, he was blown into the air by a mortar shell. The explosion damaged his spine and he was unconscious for several days but went on to make a full recovery.
Looking back on his service Mr Johnston said: "It was something that had to be done and I was part of it. I was well trained for it.
"You did what you had to do and when the day arrived that was what it was like and you did it."
Image caption: Bill Johnston
Copyright: BBC
Major events in UK and France to mark 80th anniversary of D-Day
The King, Queen and Prince of Wales will join veterans in Portsmouth this morning, as events in the UK and France to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
The Normandy landings were the largest seaborne invasion in history, with troops from the UK, the USA, Canada, and France attacking German forces on the beaches at Normandy in northern France on 6 June, 1944. Allied troops departed from Portsmouth on 5 June.
On Tuesday, some D-Day veterans boarded a ferry from Portsmouth to Normandy once again, retracing their journey of 80 years ago.
Image caption: D-Day veteran Donald Jones on Sword Beach in Normandy on TuesdayCopyright: PA Media
