Project71 veterans and volunteers commemorate D-Day anniversary in Portchester

Project 71 is a strictly not for profit organisation run by volunteers, providing support for World War II veterans across the south coast.

They are not a huge group, do not have celebrities supporting them and do not have thousands of pounds in the bank. But with the support of the public, they have achieved a lot.

The stories of bravery from the D-Day landings are many. Some of the soldiers were only teenagers but still put the safety of their comrades first.

One such story is that of Bob Gale, a veteran who was part of Project71.

Bob originally wanted to join the RAF as a pilot but was told he was not good enough and was sent for a medical at Aldershot to join the Army.

He didn’t want to do all that ‘marching about stuff’, though, so applied for the Navy. He was accepted and reported to Collingwood for training.

Bob ended up as a signalman on LCA 1010 and was only 22 when he landed on Gold Beach on D-Day in the first wave at Asnells.

The Project71 team share the story that Bob often told of the moment he arrived on the beach:

‘The whole place seemed to be covered in smoke and there was an awful lot of noise going off.

‘The German shells going over the top, British shells going over the top a little bit higher, there were aeroplanes going over as well.

‘I went up on the ramp to help the soldiers get off the boat and to tell them ‘Do not stay on the beach, stay on the beach and you're dead, so get off the beach as quick as possible'. They ran like rabbits, they really did.

‘We needed to reverse off the beach and back through the defences, long poles with a large mine on the top.

‘It’s not easy reversing a landing craft, in fact it was impossible to steer it. So, I went to the back of the boat and sat on the stern and pushed away the mines.

‘Somebody said I was mad and could have got my head blown off, but the CO said no he wouldn’t, the whole boat would have been blown up. But what could I do? Something had to be done.’

Bob was later awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for his actions on that day.

There are few D-Day veterans still alive, as the years go by, but Project71 has four veterans they support who celebrated their 100th birthday this year, plus one of 102 and one of 103.

There are six that are turning 99 this year too and Saturday was Jean's 99th birthday!

Steven Shaw, co-founder of Project 71, said: ‘We gathered to pay our respects, to remember, and to make a commitment for peace.

‘We remember the bravery of people like Bob but also the unsung heroes whose bodies were never recovered and whose names are a distant memory.

‘We remember those who have continued to fight for peace and justice and to challenge aggression, bullying, dictating, and discrimination.

‘There was much darkness on the landing-beaches of Normandy 79 years ago. But that darkness had been brought about by evil men who tried to dominate the world and snuff out any who were opposed to them.

‘In the end, justice prevailed; truth was the order of the day; and those who paid the supreme sacrifice glimpsed the light of God.’

Throughout the pandemic, Project 71 supported veterans by providing food drop offs, videos, books, and jigsaws, plus iPads to help them stay connected during lockdowns.

Among their achievements in the last few years were placing a bench on the banks of the Rijn and a plaque and bench at the Zig Canal in the Netherlands, in memory of two veterans that were part of Operation Market Garden.

The group have also sponsored over fifty name bricks on the Normandy Wall at the D Day Museum in Southsea.