Jim Radford was only 15 when he served as a ship's galley boy on June 6, 1944, making him the youngest known D-Day veteran. 75 years later, he's released a new version of a ballad he wrote in 1969 to honor those who died in Normandy.
On that fateful day, he helped build the Mulberry harbor at Gold Beach, which allowed the British Royal Navy to get personnel, vehicles and supplies onto the beaches of France.Seventy-five years later, Radford, who has always been into music -- folk songs, in particular -- has released a new version of a poignant ballad he wrote in 1969 to honor those who died in Normandy.His song,"The Shores of Normandy," has been at No.
What D-Day taught my grandpa"It's very important to me and other veterans that there should be a place like this where people can come and reflect because we're not going to be around for much longer to tell the story, and the story needs to be told because people need to learn lessons from it."Radford, who was born in Hull and now lives in South East London, said he wrote the song during his first visit to Normandy after the war.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
AP Was There: Allied troops land in Normandy on D-DayWITH AMERICAN FORCES IN FRANCE (AP) — This story was first published on June 8, 1944, after AP journalist Don Whitehead, who became known by his colleagues as 'Beachhead Don,' landed on Omaha...
Read more »
World War II veterans return to Normandy for 75th D-Day anniversary93-year-old Royal Navy D-Day veteran sets foot on Juno Beach for the first time in 75 years, paying his respects to the fallen ahead of the invasion's 75th anniversary.
Read more »
D-Day squadron: Historic airplanes journey from US to Normandy for 75th anniversaryTo commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-day, the skies over Normandy will be filled with meticulously restored Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakotas -- the same aircraft which carried the men across the English Channel and into battle.
Read more »
D-Day: What happened during the Normandy landings?D-Day was 75 years ago today. It's still the largest joint military operation ever undertaken.
Read more »
Fighting Germans and Jim Crow: Role of black troops on D-DayRoughly 2,000 African American troops are believed to have hit the shores of Normandy in various capacities on June 6, 1944. Serving in a U.S. military still-segregated by race, they encountered discrimination both in the service and when they came home.
Read more »
D-Day veterans look forward to Channel crossingRear Adm. John Roberts and about 300 other veterans of the Normandy invasion left Dover on Sunday for a six-day trip that will take them back to the landing beaches on the 75th anniversary of D-Day.
Read more »
D-Day vet beating Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift in the charts with World War II tributeD-Day veteran beating Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift in the charts with World War II tribute 'Shores of Normandy'
Read more »
Post-war western alliance in doubt 75 years after D-Day'What the world learned beginning in World War I and culminating in World War II … is that old policies of each state being completely autonomous decisionmaker, doing only what it wished was too fragile of a basis for a well-ordered civilization.'
Read more »