Striking portraits of World War II veterans go on display in Portsmouth
ITV News Meridian's Nicki Woodcock spoke to veterans who crossed the English Channel on D-Day
Striking portraits of nine Second World War veterans have gone on display in Hampshire.
The free exhibition called 'The Lucky Ones Grow Old' at Portsmouth's D-Day Story museum highlights the personal sacrifices they made and how the war shaped their lives.
The photographs were taken back in June, as the country came together to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
John Dennett, 100, is among the veterans featured. He joined the Royal Navy aged 17 and was on board a Landing Craft Tank which crossed the Channel ahead of D-Day, leaving from Portsmouth and arriving at Sword Beach to offload troops and equipment. John and his comrades made a further 15 crossings.
John said: "I’m lucky to be alive, you’ve got to put it that way and when I look back, I’m exceptionally lucky because there’s thousands of young lads, of my age, who died in those battles of various wars, and there was a lot of them.
"You’ve got to remember them, because without them, we wouldn’t have what we’ve got today. I’m very grateful."
Cyril Stanley (Stan) Ford, 99, served on board HMS Fratton which accompanied ships taking men and supplies across the Channel on D-Day.
While manning a gun platform at the age of 19, the ship was hit and sunk off the Normandy coast.
Stan said: "I went over the side with the gun and platform. We went up in the air and away from the ship and finally came down, but the explosion was so severe that it detached the gun turret and the gun that I was in.
"So I was lucky, that was one of my lucky occasions that I survived that for a start.
"I remember coming up and floundering around a bit bemused. Whereas the gun and the platform went down to the seabed so I was one of the lucky ones... and that is something I repeat time and time again to the young people, never to forget.
"About 40 were saved, but we lost 31, and of those 31, a lot were personal friends.
"We used to go ashore on the south coast. They were personal buddies to me."
Both John and Stan say they are honoured to be part of the exhibition.
John said: "I was looking at it, and it is a likeness of me anyhow. It’s only when you get close up, that you think ‘Oh I look like that do I?' It’s a funny feeling isn’t it?"
Stan said: "I recognised myself right away. Nothing changes."
The photographer behind the project, Matt Sills, says working with the veterans was a real privilege.
Matt said: "I think it’s really important to tell these stories because it highlights why so many people sacrificed their lives during the war for us to have our freedom.
"What these guys have done, they’ve gone and had families and lived their lives and it’s exactly the freedom that they were fighting for."
The exhibition runs until January 18, after which the portraits will be digitally archived honouring the lives of the lucky ones for years to come.
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