The real heroes are the ones in graves in France, they'll tell you, the ones they were making every effort to travel for, despite their frailty, so they could pay their respects.
The bagpipes were the first sound that hit us as we walked out on deck, then the horns of other boats around us. Boats from the Royal Navy spraying water cannon, and a low-flying RAF plane dipping its wing, all adding to the sense of occasion as we set sail on the ferry from Portsmouth. A proper send-off and a celebration of service. Some of the veterans had only been teenagers when they first made that journey towards hell on the Normandy beaches in France.
Prayers said a wreath was dropped overboard for those who never made it to Normandy 80 years ago. Read more:Last member of D-Day veterans group to scatter comrades' ashesD-Day in numbers - Notable figures from invasionEleven things you might not know about D-Day Most of the men, and their families, know this will probably be the last time they make this trip, making those small acts of remembrance for their comrades even more important to them all.
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