75 years on, we follow a group of five veterans as they return to the beaches for what could be the last time. you never, neverforget it. it's there. i mean, sometimes you lay in bed and you go through it all. well, it's the last round—up, isn't it? i mean, i'm 95, i've still got one or two more. they're here to pay tribute to everyone who never made it back. i hope it's going to bring it home to all the people exactly what happened. not what i did — what we did.

by the man, salute! hello, ken, how are you? 75 years ago, these men set sail for the normandy beaches. i was wounded on sword beach, the first wave in. everything all right, yeah? now, helped by the royal british legion, 300 of them are returning to normandy. the veterans were part of one of the most ambitious military operations ever attempted, d—day. newsreel: boarding ship for the battle of normandy, the army group carrying out the assault is made up of british, canadian and american forces.

some of them have been back before, but never on a journey quite like this. this will be my third visit. it'll be totally different to the other two. cos the other two, we were just a small group of normandy veterans. but nothing as big as this one. they're aged between 90 and 101. for some, this will be the last time they're able to make the trip. did you ever go to caen? 0h, did i go to caen! well, we shelled the hell out of it. we took caen on the 8th ofjuly. it'll be an amazing adventure. i kept in touch with quite a few of my comrades. there's always quite a comradeship. not that we ever talked a great deal

about all the things we done, i don't think any of us ever did. you were doing what you were told to do and hoped everything was going to be ok. i'm looking forward to meeting other veterans, certainly. when these men boarded ships and landing craft injunei941i, many of them had no idea what lay ahead. i wanted to go in the air force, but everybody else did, so i was given the option then of the army and navy, the royal marines, and my mother thought i'd look better in navy blue, so we joined the navy. ended up as a sub—lieutenant, one little gold stripe,

pretending to be a gentleman as well as an officer. newsreel: part of our invasion fleet, tank landing craft here engaged in divisional exercises in britain. what did you think of tanks, ken? horrible bleeding things. i wouldn't say i suffered from claustrophobia, but i was always uncomfortable inside one. very rarely did we ever goes down into the... and never ever put the lid on the top. it was the war time, and you were simply called up, and that was it, and off you went. you said, "goodbye, mum and dad," and that's it. he was only a boy. well, all of them were, weren't they? and i was thinking, "i'm looking at you, and that could be the last time i see you." we didn't know it was called d—day then. we were simply soldiers training to do a job later on.

newsreel: across the water come more landing craft getting us further evidence from which we may gauge the scale of operations. we were training every day, yeah, doing assault courses and whatnot. i was very fit in those days. i was called up, and i went to a training battalion. i will remember that horrible soldier putting you through the mill and that. we were allowed, i think, one card to send home through our parents. and when i was home on leave, i said to my mother, we'd got a little dog, and i said, if i mention the dog being better, i'll say, you know, that i'm about to go over d—day, yeah. we had plenty to carry, you know, cos i had two hand grenades

in each trousers pocket, a magazine in my pouches... d—day was the largest naval land and air operation ever attempted. they landed on the beaches as the beginning of the biggest, most successful, most important, triumphant operation of the war. the pushback of german forces in france and the final collapse of germany, of course with russian help, in germany itself. what they did on d—day was the critical moment where they got the foothold on the beaches, and they held that foothold. now 95, ernest has never been back to normandy. he's travelling there now with his son. you can read a book about everything, but when you're talking to the actual men who did it, it's amazing. ijust think it's humbling in a way, what they've been through, and they're all modest people, they don't bang the drum about what they did, but they've all got the medals,

and that shows they were there. i'll never have another opportunity to understand first—hand what it was like. eric is here with his granddaughter michelle. i suppose it's one of the few times we do talk to each other, we've never bothered much in the past. i don't think even their families knew a great deal about it. oh, it's been an honor and a privilege. i couldn't have expected anything just as big as this. to be able to share the memories with my grandad and other veterans, yeah, it's just been a real privilege. give them a wave, dad. all those generations who knew nothing about it, what they're going to learn from all of this. i'm overwhelmed, to tell you the truth. it's lovely, isn't it? i'm so proud and yet

so humble at the same time. newsreel: the allied invasion of europe from the west is launched, d—day, the second front and the second battle of france. i still have my service book, which says "embarked 4th of june 1944. " we went to southampton. get on the ship. that had already been over once with the canadians. well, i can remember getting wet through cos we were on the open deck. we were out in the solent in a long line of ships. and being scared maybe, apprehensive certainly. it was something like more than 14 hours at sea.

they offered us some rum, but i wouldn't take any, because i thought i'd better keep a clear head. there was a point where everybody had to make for. newsreel: 4,000 ships and thousands of smaller craft. the gathering of the mighty armada. and what were conditions like? do you want me to swear? they were horrendous. 0h, awful. i remember we had some small destroyers escorting us, and one minute they would be on top of a wave, and the next minute you couldn't see it. i was never so seasick in all my life! the whole crew were. everyone were a bit quiet, you know? there was a lot on their minds,

i suppose. we were just wondering what was going to happen when we got over the other side. it was on the eight o'clock news in the morning that some of our troops were in france, and i thought, right, jack, i know where you are now. if you'd just like to turn round, sir, and try to hold onto the arms? thank you. i could have run down there! one of the highlights of the voyage is a trip to portsmouth, where some of the men originally set off for the normandy beaches. a bit emotional, i will cry when i get there, but nevertheless i'm looking forward to it. my old sergeant major would have had this organised in no time at all. it's a huge spectacle, watched by millions. world leaders havejoined the queen

to recall the events of d—day. but the focus is on the veterans. i'm honoured to be stood here today in front of so many other veterans. you never forget your comrades, because we were all in it together. it is with humility and pleasure, on behalf of the entire country, indeed the whole free world, that i say to you all thank you. it's an unforgettable day, and after the ceremony, some veterans have a chance to tell their stories to visiting royalty. today has been great, lovely, beautiful. i shook the president's hand, and i saw the queen's head! so...! very good day.

the day ends with a ceremonial sendoff from the royal navy. they must think a hell of a lot of us. more than we deserve, i think. i never expected that. seeing my grandad emotional sort of got me going, because he does deserve this, as does everybody else. but he'll never get that bit. he won't know how special he is. i thought all the services were very, very good, well up to standard. i think i burst out crying once or twice. it was really touching. it was the old wartime tunes and stories, what they were saying, you know, itjust went home. and he kept saying, are you all right? you know!

was he getting a bit choked? yeah, he needed a couple of tissues. yes, i did, i couldn't help it! he was all right. the ship steamed south towards the beaches that are always in the veterans' thoughts. the memories of thatjune morning feel closer than ever. well, first light and first sight of the french coast was about... i don't know, i would suspect may of a mile away in the half light. the first thing i saw, as we approached the coast, was a dead sailor floating in the sea, which was a little bit of a "oh dear". newsreel: enemy shells begin to drop among the landing craft closing the shore. the sea was full of life and blood everywhere. it was quite a mess, cos the canadians had

been in front of us. it was the first wave, you see, what got shot up. newsreel: there comes the grinding of keels on shingle, and our troops spill ashore across that open stretch menaced by enemy gunfire. i was one of the first out. and they dropped the ramp, and i was on the left—hand side, and as soon as i hit the water, i went down, nearly under. ijust managed to keep my head above, and i kept walking, and it was a shallow, you see, i dropped into. and i came up the other side and managed to get into the dunes, cos there were shots flying everywhere and shells still coming over. when we got onto the beach, probably four or five dead canadians on the shore. and the tide was lapping

over their faces. and we couldn't do a darn thing about it. it was very sad, still very... there was a lot of fire, a lot of gunfire going on from whatever big ones, there were rocket ships out in the bay, out in the channel that were firing. i went like that, i don't know why, but i did, and a piece of shrapnel hit the tin hat, so it was a good job we ducked. the beach itself hasn't changed. that's the vision from up there going up to le havre, wherejerry used to shell us from. as a young officer, eric commanded a landing craft at sword beach. well, they're the boots i wore on d—day.

they're the ones that kept me dry. very good boots. it makes you think about it. damn lucky that i'm able to come back here to do it, i suppose. notjust because i survived the time, but i've managed to get to 95, which i suppose is not bad these days. there you are, mate. are we good? we were good, weren't we? we were bloody lucky! we were bloody lucky, as you say! d—day was just the beginning. once they'd fought their way off the beaches, the troops pushed forward into occupied france. newsreel: d-day plus one, a widening and deepening foothold on that deadly shore, strenuous efforts are made to penetrate inland before the full weight of resistance can be brought to bear.

the germans occupied the hill, and they can see over a large area, and it was up to us to try and take it from them, and that was outside caen. well, we took it eventually, yeah, we took it, but we lost 12,000 men. i looked up over the cornfield it was, when i saw this tiger tank about 20 or 30 yards in front of me, and about 20 jerries each side. and i grabbed the chap next to me, cos he was wounded all in the face, he couldn't see very well, and i dragged him along best way i could, to slide down this embankment, this railway embankment, and as i slid down there, that's where the ss were coming up.

they fired at us but missed us. the bullets hit the ground around ourfeet, about five bullets. that's where i was wounded and taken, you say? ken suffered a shrapnel wound in his leg after being caught in the crossfire. he was captured by the ss and received treatment as a prisoner of war. he gave me a spinal injection, which paralysed me from the waist down, and took the shrapnel out of my leg, and he placed it in my hand, which was all blood, and he said, "there you are, a souvenirfor you." and i've still got it. not everyone was as lucky as ken. 0n d—day alone, there were 10,000 casualties — over 4000 allied servicemen

were killed. the final stop on the veterans' voyage is bayeux military cemetery. well, this is really what it's all about, to come here, this is where we say thank you to those that really did the work. seeing our boys, we'd been talking to them minutes before, but they were cut down with machine—gun fire. it was pretty bad at that time. they fall into the water, floating face down, and we couldn't get them out, we couldn't... we couldn't help them. and that is my most abiding memory,

and i can't forget it. thank you for listening. # the lord's my shepherd, i'll not want # he makes me down to lie # in pastures green, he leadeth me # the quiet waters by... # there's a lot of lads there that were unlucky. i've got to thank god that i was lucky. but it's very moving when you see them, they're the people that did

give their lives for it. i'm very proud and i'm very sad. but i've met some of the most brilliant people. and nobody‘s above anybody else. we're all mates. thank you, prime minister. thank you, good to see you, thank you. thank you. i landed at sword beach. the majority of these lads here most likely saved my life. that's why this place is so dear to me. and in this place of remembrance, thoughts turn to

those who are not here. one of my best mates there, a gentleman by the name of freddie gardner, he was a great friend, and he was also... he was also a great pianist. on our way from bayeux up to belgium, we went through caen. there was a canteen in a bombed out church building, and in the corner there was a grand piano. dust, bricks on top of it, all covered. so we cleaned this piano up, and freddie got on that piano, and i cry now because... within ten minutes, the place was heaving. the place was heaving, on hearing the piano there was hundreds, the place was absolutely

heaving with soldiers, they were shouting out, "play so—and—so, play this," and freddie played it. he was a great... sorry to lose you, fred. i was very lucky. i had some narrow escapes. i think about it every day. it's another friend, i'm hoping this is an old friend. absolutely wonderful. captain... so young. you talk to younger people about events during the war, and they look askance at you,

as if it never happened. i hope it's going to bring it home to all the people, exactly what happened. not what i did, what we did. i came home, and i'm thankful for that. and i appreciate waking up every morning just to see the sky. the lads who are the heroes are still out there. so grateful to be alive. so grateful to have survived. so sorry so many had to die. so many heroes, and there they lie. normandy.

a father and his two children who drowned in a hotel swimming pool on christmas eve are named by spanish police. gabriel diya died alongside his 16—year—old son and his nine—year—old daughter, comfort. anyone that knew them would say the same thing. they were just beautiful, lovely people. at least 16 dead and many missing after a typhoon rips through the philipines leaving a trail of devastation behind it. rescuing the reef with strings of coral — the scientists trying to farm it, to save it from extinction. he is out, first ball. and a confident start for england against south africa in their opening test match.

good evening. spanish police have named a british holidaymaker and his two children, who drowned in a hotel swimming pool on the costa del sol on christmas eve. gabriel diya who was 52 and from london died with his 16—year—old son praise—emmanuel and his 9—year—old 9—year—old daughter, comfort. the family had been staying at the club la costa world resort, near fuengirola. an investigation into what happened is under way. the owners of the hotel have described it as a "tragic accident". helena wilkinson reports. this is gabriel diya, the 52—year—old father who died trying to rescue his daughter. and here he is with nine—year—old comfort. they were on a family holiday when on christmas eve she got into difficulty in this hotel swimming pool.

despite her father's efforts, she also died, as did her 16—year—old brother, praise—emmanuel, who also tried to help. postmortem examinations confirmed that all three drowned. a 14—year—old girl, the children's sister, raised the alarm. today in south—east london, neighbours of the family have been speaking of their shock. they were just beautiful, lovely people. i'm absolutely devastated. i cannot... i'm still trying to get it in my head that this has really happened to them. it's just so cruel, so unfair. yeah, shocking, shocking. somebody died by drowning, especially, on holiday. it is shocking. mr diya was a parish pastor. one of the churches he was associated with has paid tribute, saying their thoughts were with his family and friends at this difficult time. the hotel owners have described

the incident as a tragic accident, saying the investigation found no concerns relating to the pool or procedures in place. but questions remain as to precisely what happened to a father and his two children on their christmas holiday in spain. answers on their christmas holiday in spain. to those quest to answers to those questions are going to be the focus of the police investigation into this christmas eve tragedy. officers in spain are trying to piece together exactly what happened in the moments before. a statement has been issued. they are cooperating with authorities and they are supporting bereaved family members. at the foreign office it says it is continuing to support a british woman in spain, understood to be the children's mother. at least 16 people have died and many more are missing after a typhoon hit the phillippines on christmas eve. the storm brought winds of 120 miles

an hour at its height and has left a trail of devastation through the centre of the country. james waterhouse reports. typhoon phanfone first arrived on tuesday night. with it came wins of almost 120 mph, causing devastation and fear. the storm then worked its way over the islands of the central philippines. only today is there a sense of the damage caused. buildings were reduced to rubble. villages were devastated as the typhoon swept through, leaving residents to pick through the debris left behind. it was so powerful, even large boats were overturned. the philippines is no stranger to tropical storms and typhoons, with around 20 arriving each year.