Sword beach and a day for mates and memories

Gordon Smith served in 1051 Port Company, Royal Engineers during the Second World War and helped build the portable temporary Mulberry harbours to assist with the offloading of cargo onto the beaches.
He landed in France two days after the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944 and said that he was ashamed about hiding behind dead bodies as he crawled up the beach.
Speaking to the Newbury Weekly News on Tuesday, the 90-year-old veteran explained that he nearly cancelled his trip to the commemorative event, owing to broken fingers and a damaged leg; but his partner, Wendy Plant, helped to change his mind.
In a tearful reunion with mates and memories, Mr Smith stood on the Normandy sands and reflected on his part in the largest seaborne invasion in history.
He said: “You could see some of your mates fall, but we were told to leave them. We wear the medals for our mates who are still there. They’re the real heroes.
“That’s what gets you. When you see all those gravestones with the names of kiddies aged 18 and 19 who didn’t get up the beach.
“I’m very pleased I went over there. It brought back tremendous memories and there were mixed emotions for all of us.
“You see old men crying but you can understand it. Anywhere that I go where there’s a beach brings back memories. You try to cancel out the memories, but you can’t.”
Mr Smith was reunited with his friend Ron Pearce, from Scotland, with whom he trained at Andover.
He said: “I thought he was dead. We met up and had a beer and talked about old times. He had his leg blown off on the beach. We were told before we went over that you had to survive and it was kill or be killed. My mate jumped over the top and had his leg blown off by a mine.”
Mr Smith was one of hundreds of Allied veterans who made the pilgrimage to France; and were met with cheers and applause from the population of villages that were liberated 70 years ago.
Mr Smith said: “The welcome we had from the French people was absolutely marvellous. It was very, very sentimental. Everywhere we went the French people wanted their photographs taken with us. Even the children were asking for our pictures.
“It was so overwhelming. I shook hands with French people more times than the Queen. I’ve never seen such crowds. People were shouting out ‘thank you for our freedom’.”
Mr Smith said that he had been to places of special importance to veterans, including a service at Bayeux Cathedral, at which the Queen was also present.
Veterans were then treated to an “absolutely marvellous” reenactment of the landings on Sword Beach, complete with a fly past and firework display.
However, Mr Smith said that a lot of the veterans did not appreciate politicians and dignitaries “taking the limelight”.
“The said they were representing their countries, but the veterans were doing that,” he said, adding that Russian president Vladimir Putin was booed at one stage.
The visit culminated in a visit to Pegasus Bridge where the veterans were offered free drinks.
Mr Smith has returned to the beaches that shaped history every year apart from when his wife died.
He said: “We will go back every year; even as a small group we owe it to our mates who are still there.”
Mr Smith, who was born in Kings Road, Newbury, celebrated his 90th birthday last month.