One of Britain's last surviving D-Day veterans has paid emotional tribute to the 'young boys we lost' during the Normandy landings almost 80 years ago.
John Dennett, who enlisted in the Royal Navy in 1942 at the age of 17 against his mother's wishes without even having his birth certificate checked, says he was 'one of the lucky ones' to survive the conflict .
The 99-year-old cried as he remembered “those who didn't come back” coming home after the disaster WWIIincluding the estimated 10,000 Allied soldiers who died on the beaches of the north France.
The veteran, from Liverpool, played his part on June 6, 1944, as part of his role in the Royal Navy, unloading troops and heavy equipment at Sword Beach and returning wounded troops and prisoners to Portsmouth.
Mr Dennett, who is originally from Wiltshire, said people “need to realize that their freedom was fought for” by young men and teenagers of his generation on the battlefields of Europe.
John Dennett became emotional as he remembered the 'young boys' who gave their lives on the beaches of Normandy during the D-Day landings
Mr Dennett had joined the Royal Navy at the age of 17 and played a role on D-Day, ferrying troops to and from beaches in northern France. Pictured: Mr Dennett in his sailor uniform during World War II
The 99-year-old, pictured in a wheelchair, cried for 'those who didn't return' to Britain after the war
The navy veteran, who has been awarded the Legion d'Honneur medal for bravery, will travel to France with the help of the Spirit of Normandy Trust to take part in the 80th anniversary commemorations next month.
Before the trip, Mr Dennett said he remembered thinking 'nothing can happen to us, there are too many of us' as soldiers and naval personnel gathered for the D-Day landings on the south coast of England.
'We couldn't sail on the 5th, which everyone now knows, but we were already at our anchorage outside the Channel.
'We stayed one night and then we left, it must have been around midnight on the 6th.
'There were so many ships, you thought, what's going to happen? You had to see it to believe it.
'I saw a picture of it again yesterday and it's incredible.
'We thought nothing could happen to us, there are too many of us.
'And sure enough, for me D-Day wasn't as bad as some of my other escapades.
“But that could only be because I was never actually shot at that day.”
Mr Dennett, who joined the army because it was 'much more fun to be in the service than to be at home', added that he was one of the lucky ones that day.
“As a sailor, I'm glad I wasn't a soldier, so to speak,” he said.
“I don't know if I could have stormed our landing craft with a cannon or not.”
The veteran said he considers himself “very lucky” to have returned home safely after the Normandy landings
Mr Dennett said he remembered thinking 'nothing can happen to us, there are too many of us' before the landings took place.
But the former sailor said the scale of the conflict and the losses on D-Day were “frightening” to think about.
Asked if he remembered how he felt on D-Day, Mr Dennett replied: 'Not really, other than it was just another day.
“When we came back in the evening and went back, I know we were very grateful that we thought carefully: we're going back to England.”
Afterwards, Mr Dennett said the crew sailed back and forth every other day in the weeks that followed.
He said: 'We took prisoners home on the boat, we took wounded people.
“In the LST (landing ship tank), when it was empty on the tank deck, they loaded it with stretchers and everything and we had an operating room temporarily.
'And if someone had to be operated on on the stretchers, they attacked him.
“When I think about it, I think how lucky I was to be a part of it.”
Mr Dennett added that he considers himself “very lucky” to be one of the people who “sees it and comes home.”
He said: 'Because we have lost so many people, it is frightening when you sometimes think, even in Normandy, how much we have lost. I didn't know we had lost so many in the first few days.
'And it's only when you read statistics that you think: damn. But I'm still here to tell the story. Thank God.'
Reflecting on his time during the war, Mr Dennett said he felt “very proud” before becoming emotional.
Speaking through tears, he added: “Then you think of those who didn't come back.
Mr. Dennett enlisted when he was just 17 years old and against his mother's wishes. Pictured: A black and white photo of Mr Dennett taken to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day in June 2019
Mr Dennett waves from the deck of a ferry from Brittany to Caen and the beaches of Normandy in Portsmouth to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day in June 2019
'I visit schools in England, in the Netherlands, and talk to the children and try to teach them what war is about, peace and the meaning of the poppy, because I believe in that more.
“Even if it bothers me, I will always do it.”
He added that it was only in the years after the war that he realized that they were fighting for freedom at the time and that younger generations should appreciate the same.
He added: “It was only in later years that I sat down and realized that I enjoyed freedom all these years – and I enjoyed it a lot, and that if we hadn't fought, you wouldn't be here. during that period.
“We've lost so many young boys, most of them were young, that's the problem.”
Mr Dennett plans to travel to Normandy with the Spirit of Normandy Trust to mark its 80th anniversary.
Asked why it is important for him to travel back to Normandy, Mr Dennett said: 'It's nice to think that everyone who gave their life is well remembered.'
After returning home from the war, Mr Dennett made a life for himself with his wife Joyce, whom he had first met shortly before D-Day when his ship was docked in Birkenhead.
The veteran, who lives in Wallesey, also founded Ashville FC in 1949, which now has its own ground and 20 youth teams.
He said: 'I'm very proud of the old football club, and we are very respected, that's the most important thing.'