Veterans bring the war to life (From Worcester News)

Veterans bring the war to life

5:00pm Friday 3rd July 2009

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CHILDREN from a Worcester school were privileged to meet veterans of the Second World War.

Pupils from King’s Hawford, near Claines, enjoyed listening to stories told by Allan Austin, Cyril ‘Ash’ Ashley, Arthur Jones and Allan Clifford, veterans of the Second World War, when they visited.

Pride of place went to Mr Ashley, aged 95, who spoke of his involvement in the operations around Arnhem,. The veterans had been involved also in the D-Day landings and some had experienced time in a German prisoner of war camp.

Mr Ashley told pupils how he, together with 28 troops, set off in September 1944 on = a glider bound for Holland. Their role was to capture the landing zones and hold them so that the ‘2nd and 3rd lifts’ scheduled for the following two days, would be able to land unopposed.

Plans however went very wrong, and they were left without any ammunition or supplies. They were captured and not freed until April 1945.

King’s Hawford headteacher Jim Turner said: “The children were so excited to meet the veterans. It brought to life the events they had heard so much about and the stories they told were really well received.

“We treated our visitors to a roast beef meal, having heard that this is what the servicemen had missed during the war.”

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