D-Day vets share their war stories

They will be joined by schoolchildren at the inter-generational event alongside the harbour, which itself played a part in the Allied invasion to liberate Europe from Nazi Germany.

The visitor centre is hosting a special tea party at which about 30 veterans will share their experiences of serving in the armed forces, reserved occupations such as farming and coal mining, working in munitions factories or volunteering in the Home Guard, with children from Littlehampton’s River Beach Primary School.

The tea party is on June 6, the anniversary of the Normandy landings, when the centre will also be visited by three more groups of 30 pupils from the school, to be shown around the exhibition galleries by a team of volunteers and to learn about the role played by the town and harbour in the war years.

All that week, Look & Sea will have a wartime-themed menu, served by staff in costumes from the period.

Look & Sea trustee and volunteer team member Valerie Sharp, who is helping to coordinate the event, said: “This is probably the last time that Second World War veterans will come together at a commemoration like this in Littlehampton.

“Although this year the nation is marking the centenary of the First World War, we felt that the 70th anniversary of D-Day should not be overlooked, and it will be wonderful to have the veterans with us to tell their stories in their own words.”

For more information about the party, write to The Look & Sea Centre, 63-65 Surrey Street, Littlehampton BN17 5AW, or email [email protected] for the attention of Valerie Sharp.

The River Ward Panel has given a grant to the event.