The 99-year-old D-Day hero returned to where the gates to hell opened 80 years ago today, saying: "I am so proud that we did it - it could have been so different." Royal Navy braveheart Peter was just 19 and serving on Landing Ship Tank 215 on June 6, 1944, ferrying soldiers and equipment on to Juno Beach under heavy and constant bombardment.
Revisiting the spot where eight decades earlier pandemonium erupted, the wave of emotions that hit him became too much and he bowed his head, taking a moment to compose himself, before saying: "Sadly there are very few of us left.
"I was 19 in 1944. How many people can say that? "I just wish the public gave us more credit and thanked us for the easy way of life they have. If we had been defeated it could have all been so very different. I dare not think about it." Peter was mobbed by hundreds of locals who each wanted a picture with him and to shake his hand for the role he played in helping to liberate France from the Nazis.
This story is from the June 06, 2024 edition of Daily Express.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June 06, 2024 edition of Daily Express.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Strong bond at heart of Swiss bliss
ZUBER LAUDS LASTING UNITY
RON OF A KIND
Mbappe hoping to end hero Cristiano's Euro title dream
REDS OF HEAVEN
Coleman's Wales live the dream
RALLYING CRY
Dart goes from tears to cheers to stun Boulter
'You'll soon find out who my boys are'
JAMIE WARNS ALL BLACKS
O'BRIEN LAUDS 'MATURE' TROY
CITY OF TROY has \"grown up and matured\" since his Betfred Derby triumph as he tackles older opposition for the first time in tomorrow's CoralEclipse at Sandown.
Exec branded an 'old fossil' aged 58 wins £3m payout
A MAN told by his younger boss he was an \"old fossil\" who \"did not know how to manage millennials\" has won more than £3million in an age discrimination case.
Cardiac arrest patients face agonising 9-minute wait for a defibrillator
Postcode lottery over access to vital equipment
'I just wanted to shout: I've met my daughter'
Mum’s joy six decades after being forced to give up child
Sex predator teacher given six years in jail
A TEACHER who groomed and had sex with two teenage boys, and became pregnant by one of them, has been jailed after a judge slammed her \"breathtaking arrogance\".
