A LONDONER who was posted to Portland and survived the bombing of a ship he served on is remembered on the caissons at Portland Harbour.

Sydney William Dunmore is among the wartime heroes to have a statue named after them in a special ceremony on June 6, which will be the 74th anniversary of D-Day.

Sydney was born on February 14 1902 in Sydenham, south-east London. He joined the Navy at the age of 19 and saw service before returning to civilian life.

At the outbreak of war he volunteered to re-join the Navy and, at the age of 37, was assigned to HMT (Hired Military Transport) Hertfordshire as a naval gunner (4 inch).

In 1942 Sydney was transferred to HMT Thrifty which was permanently based at Portland and deployed as a minesweeping drifter, along with another vessel called HMT Lady Enid. Thrifty was a 97 foot long, 138 ton steam fishing trawler built in 1916 and requisitioned by the Navy for defence purposes.

Converted to a minesweeping role with a 4" gun mounted on her bow, she protected Portland Harbour and, during the Normandy invasion, sailed ahead of the invasion fleet sweeping for mines.

Promoted to petty officer, Sydney saw plenty of action during his time in the Navy and, whilst on the Hertfordshire in Portland Harbour in 1941, the ship was hit by enemy bomb splinters. Fortunately, Sydney survived the war uninjured.

Sydney was married and had seven children (two boys and five girls). He lived at various addresses in Weymouth with his family from 1941 until his death at the age of 55 from heart failure.

PO Sydney Dunmore RN is depicted on the Phoenix caissons - which were towed to Normandy to act as the Mulberry Harbour breakwater in 1944 - in his naval ‘all weather’ gear on watch for enemy aircraft.