Dorset D-Day veteran celebrates turning 101 with help from military

And Denis Over of Broadmayne was thrilled when a group of soldiers made a surprise visit to help him celebrate his birthday.

Denis landed on Juno Beach on D Day, June 6 1944, with the 5th Battalion, The Royal Berkshire Regiment. That year saw him fight his way across France, Belgium, Holland and all the way to Germany.

To celebrate his birthday, a tribute was paid by a new generation of soldiers when representatives from The Royal Wessex Yeomanry and The Rifles made a surprise visit to Denis’s home to wish him a happy birthday.

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Denis said: “I’d never have dreamt I would have such a visit, I’m so very touched.”

After an hour full of tea and storytelling, ‘both parties appeared equally impressed with each other’.

WO1 Chris Pavelin from The Royal Wessex Yeomanry said: “What a bloke! We could have listened to him all day.”

Denis’s celebrations didn’t stop there. He also captured the hearts of people at the D-Day Festival of Remembrance event at Broadmayne when he shared his memories of D-Day.

Local resident, Simon Arthy, said: “Everybody was talking about how special it was to hear Denis speak to us, and many confessed to being in tears.”

Denis told of how in the weeks leading up to D-Day he was in a camp in the New Forest, enjoying 'a pleasant stay'. He thought to himself, ‘how beautiful this all is – but in a few days’ time men will be killing each other’. Denis said it seemed “so incongruous, but that was the reality. War is evil, but we are fighting evil, so I had to accept it.

Denis Over (with wife Mary on the right) sharing his experiences with the crowd at the D Day Festival of Remembrance in Broadmayne

“On the ship, heading out into the Channel at dusk, I looked back at the land and wondered when I would see the old-England again. On the morning of D-Day, we chugged our way towards the shore, rockets and shells were being hurled at the German beach defences and it was all tremendously noisy business.

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"The Battalion got on with unloading the stores and troops from follow-on ships and craft. And away they went, doing their part for a couple of months."

Mr Arthy added: “He was so eloquent. He made us laugh, he made us cry, and at all times was utterly humble in describing extraordinary feats. What an incredible, inspirational man.”