An Army veteran has helped create a DVD that pays tribute to the soldiers who risked their lives in the D-Day campaign in 1944.

The 43rd (Wessex) Division took part in the invasion, including men from the then-Hampshire Regiment, that was the beginning of the end for the Nazi regime.

The Fighting Wessex Wyverns: Their Legacy has at a late hour captured the words of the few surviving old soldiers from the campaign. It conveys the vivid personal memories of the men, some in their teens, as they took part in the biggest seaborne invasion of all time.

Colonel Ian Holmes, 80, vice-chairman of The Worthys branch of the Royal British Legion, has been involved with the filming of the DVD which he hopes will help young people and future generations understand the sacrifices in 1944.

Hampshire Chronicle:

It includes interviews with the now dwindling band of D-Day veterans, all in their late 90s or early 100s, as well as the wife of one and a French farmer. Most of those who took part in the film have since died.

There is also an introduction from the Duke of Edinburgh and the re-release of a second DVD called The Wyverns at War 1944-45. The wyvern is a mythical beast and the badge of the 43rd (Wessex) Division.

Col Holmes, of Mortimer Close, Kings Worthy, who served 28 years with the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and Royal Irish Rangers, said: "It is about creating a legacy that will always be available, rather the years passing with nothing to show for it. It is about capturing these memories.

"The DVD is an important historical document. One historian said it was a good legacy and a shame that other divisions had not produced something similar, because many haven't."

Interviewed on the DVD are Frank Henn, Sir David Willocks, John Majendie, Dougie Goddard, Bill Edwardes, Frank Grigg, Ken Hay, Les Scull, Jim Stephens, Dennis Moodie, Denis Randall, Twink Starr, Mrs Kathleen Scull and Jean Wascheul.

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It also includes Bill Edwardes, from Chandler's Ford, who served with the Worcestershire Regiment and died aged 92 in 2019. He was just 17 years old on D-Day.

Ken Hay, 98, who lives in Upminster, east London, is one of only two surviving veterans from the 43rd (Wessex) Division.

The DVD, about an hour long,  is available from Col Holmes with a price of £5 which includes postage and packing. All proceeds will go to service charities.

He can be contacted by email at ijholmes@btinternet.com.