Remembrance service held for King's Lodge care home residents

A standard bearer from The Royal British Legion joined the act of remembrance which saw residents, carers and family members share a minutes silence on Thursday (October 11)

Christine Parkins, 68, has worked at the care home since it opened nine years ago.

She said: "I think the residents thoroughly enjoyed it and it went very well. We didn't expect so many people to turn up!"

The ceremony included the playing of the last post, the national anthem and the reading of wartime poetry.

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Two D-Day veterans, who live in King's Lodge also attended the service and were able to share their stories.

Tony Campbell, 96, said: "I joined the navy in 1940 aged 18 as an able seaman advancing to 1st Lieutenant. The day before D-Day all the landing crafts tanks left Plymouth bound for the French coast.

"Our landing was landing craft tank 515. Getting near to the French coast we were shocked and horrified at the sight we saw — the place was ablaze with gunfire.

"As we neared the coast all the firing stopped and we made our way to Omaha beach helping out the Americans at 8am. We were all terrified.

"There were three officers and ten crew.

"The beach was littered with dead and dying soldiers. Our job was to land the tanks and then load our landing craft tank with bodies and injured soldiers. Hospital ships were I the bay waiting to receive them.

"This was not an easy task with the rough and turbulent sea. The big success of D-day ended in liberating the French. For this I was awarded the Croix de Guerre."

Tony added that his son, who lives in Australia, has always been very proud of him for his service.

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Peter Goss, 94, worked as part of team who destroyed barricades along the beach: "We had got rid of these things and made a few excellent explosions which we were rather pleased with.

"Everybody wanted to get the biggest explosion they could. After a while I saw a royal marine marching down the beach and he came up to me because I had my officers cap on. He asked me if I was in charge, to which I said yes and he said 'The naval office would like to talk with you'.

"I went off with him. All along the front of Austend there were hotels but most of them had been damaged by shell fire and bombs and this one building was taken over by the navy as their head quarters.

"I was ushered upstairs in rather luxurious surroundings and there was the great man behind his desk and I stood there in my rubber suit with a certain amount of sea water draining off me still and he looked up in the end and said 'are you the officer in charge that's been making all these explosions all the morning?' and I said 'yes sir' all very pleased with myself and he said 'look at my windows!' and every one had been blown in or cracked.

"We were a very close-knit group of people.

"I had always wanted to go into teaching and it was a question of staying in the navy or going out and I decided in the end to call it a day." Peter went on to teach history and geography.

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