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Isle Of Wight MP Pays Tribute To D-Day Veterans

Isle of Wight MP Bob Seely has paid tribute to D-Day veterans on the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings, which took place on June 6, 1944.

Mr Seely said:

“God Bless those D-Day heroes who are still with us.

“Their sacrifice marked the beginning of the end of World War II, and the liberation of much of Europe from the Nazis.

"Eastern Europe had to wait another four decades for freedom from Soviet tyranny.

“Thank you to all Veterans who have served since, and for those who kept us safe during the Cold War.

“By the time of D-Day, my English granddad Billy was already dead, killed in the desert of North Africa in the Battle of Gazala on 6 June 1942.

"On the morning he died, he was ordered to lead his Regiment, the South Notts Hussar, to fight to the last round and the last man — they pretty much did.

"His Regiment was reformed for D-Day. My German grandmother would be killed by Soviet troops at the end of the war.

“Grandad’s two cousins, Islanders Charles and Frank, had been killed as young men in World War I, serving with the Hampshire and the IW Rifles.

“It’s worth remembering the price we all pay when deterrence fails. I truly hope we do not make the same mistake this century.”

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