RAF veteran from Birmingham says he feels honoured to have served on D-Day, despite being scared of heights
Harry Garthwaite turned 104 this week.
As commemoration events continue, we've been speaking to those who served in the armed forces on D-Day itself 80 years ago.
The D-Day landings of 6 June 1944 was the largest seaborne invasion in history. Along with the associated airborne operations, it marked the beginning of the liberation of France and western Europe.
104 year old RAF veteran Harry Garthwaite from Birmingham served on D-Day flying VIP personnel and casualties to and from England.
Harry Garthwaite was an RAF Pilot during WW2. He was born 104 years ago in 1920. His duties during WW2 included Day Fighter, Night Fighter, Special Operations and VIP Transporter.
He flew 2231 hours in 23 types of Aircraft over England, France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. He was “Mentioned in Dispatches” and was an amazing and heroic character according to his son David.
Harry told us - "I'm lucky to have lived as long as I have and I've enjoyed every minute of it."
We paid a visit to his home in Birmingham where he told us, he feels honoured to have served and will be attending the National Memorial Arboretum today as one of around 60 other veterans attending as special guests.
"I was ferrying brigadiers and above to the various landing grounds ready for take off to join the invasion forces - and that's what I did on D-Day and after D-day we did it the other way around. We flew from Normandy back to England.
"Later I sort of realised what sort of supremacy the air force must have had, because you were flying high ranking officers, who had a lot to do with the invasions and the landings, in an unarmed aircraft around the south coast of England."
Former members of the Army, Navy and RAF - some similar ages to Harry - have been sharing their stories with us in a documentary called "D-Day and Me."