Former marine pays tribute (From Barry And District News)

Former marine pays tribute

A FORMER Royal Marine who now lives in Barry made the trip to Normandy last month to commemorate the 60th anniversary of D-Day.

Dennis Burrows, 80, of Elis Fisher Court, Broad Street, was part of a British Legion group who spent three days in the area of Northern France where operation Overlord took place.

Dennis said: "We set out for Normandy from Langstone Harbour on the south coast of England in 1945. Our job was to assist with the landing of the land army.

We spent six weeks ferrying men from larger ships, which were unable to enter into shallow waters, to the landing points on the beaches.

"We would dispatch around 140 men at a time. Of course, going back out to Normandy brought back a lot of memories, some good, some bad.

"When we arrived at the beaches the men were being heavily shelled. They also came under fire from snipers positioned along the coastline and also ran the risk of detonating mines on the beach. I saw some truly awful things.

"But at the same time there was a magnificent camaraderie among the men and that sticks in my mind too."

During the trip, Dennis managed to find the point where he first landed in 1945 which is known as "Sword Beach". He also attended a commemorative service held aboard the MV Van Gogh which was taken by the Bishop of Manchester.

Dennis, who is originally from Malvern, moved to South Wales just four years ago to be closer to his daughter and her family who live in Penarth.

Dennis was called up for military service in 1942 at the age of 18.

After the war, Dennis continued with his trade as an electrician.

Over the weekend, commemorations in a number of towns in Northern France were attended by war veterans from all over the UK.

World leaders including George W Bush, the Queen and the President of France took part in the commemorations.