Royal British Legion on mission to find D Day Veterans

Dennis Bolter, D Day Veteran

The travel arm of the Royal British Legion, Remembrance Travel, is on a mission to find every single surviving D Day veteran, as the Treasury is enabling a series of free-of-charge tours for D Day veterans to return to Normandy and pay their respects to their fallen comrades.

The tours are being funded by the Treasury from Libor fines, and will enable a D Day veteran to return with a family member and carer on a six-night tour.

The 2017 tours will take place in March, April, May and September and will give Normandy veterans - now mostly in their 90s - the chance to revisit the Normandy beaches, cemeteries and memorials. The tours will be accompanied by a medic and a guide from the Royal British Legion.

The tours will depart from London and will include Eurotunnel from Dover to Calais, accommodation, visits to Pegasus Bridge, Juno, Sword, Gold beaches, Arromanches, and war memorials, plus visits to personally specified cemeteries too.

The Rt. Hon, The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Phillip Hammond, said: "I'm delighted that we've been able to give nearly £4 million of Libor funds to support our D-Day Veterans wishing to return to Normandy with the Royal British Legion and other organisations in order to pay their respects to those who did not return home in 1944."

He continued: "It's a token of our Nation's immense debt of gratitude to those who gave so much both for our freedom and the freedom of Europe in the Second World War."

Nichola Rowlands-Smith, Remembrance Travel, added: "We have organised a number of group tours to Normandy for D-Day veterans and they have proved a very moving experience for all. It has been wonderful to offer these brave elderly men a chance to revisit the battlefield and to share their experiences with friends and family.

"We're really looking for the general public to help us find every single living D Day veteran; there's no database of Normandy veterans, so we're relying on the public, whether that be a grandchild, neighbour or carer to spread the word, so that we can offer these free tours to all D Day survivors."

For Normandy veterans wishing to benefit from this tour, they need to apply via Remembrance Travel's tour operator, Arena Travel on 01473 660800, or visit www.arenatravel.com/journeysofremembrance.

Remembrance Travel will also be offering group travel opportunities for Normandy veteran associations too.