D day anniversary: Horncastle woman talks about her grandfather who served and died at Normandy
It's only recently she found out her grandad served out there
It played a key part in ensuring our freedom and exactly 80 years on from D day Lincolnshire and Newark will today join with the rest of the country in remembering the largest seaborne invasion in history.
It was a vital operation but the cost was huge, more than 4 thousand allied lives were lost in just the first few hours as they tried to gain a foothold in France.
Today has a particular significance for one woman from Horncastle.
Sonia Limm discovered her grandfather served in Normandy.
It's after her dad did some research.
He found Sonia's grand father and his dad Sergeant Douglas Huddlestone served with the 4th Battalion Lincolnshire regiment.
Sadly he died not long after D day.
If it wasn’t for the bravery of his best friends, we wouldn’t have a grave to visit
Sonia has spent the last 3 years uncovering information about her grandfather.
She told us: "10 days after D-day he went out and he was killed on the 25th of June."
“Sadly he was killed by a mortar bomb and his two best friends survived."
"One of whom had to place the identity tag on his body and if it wasn’t for the bravery of his best friends, we wouldn’t have a grave to visit.”
"He was killed in a small orchard."
We are going to pay our respects at his grave
"They were against the Nazi Panzer division so the SS Elite, and they thought the RAF was going to go over but they couldn’t because of the conditions."
"So I don’t think he knew what he would be facing really".
Sonia and her dad will be visiting the grave later this month to pay their respects.
"Dad at his age of 80, to be able to give him the closure he wants at his age its something he'd never though he would have."
"In his words, its his dying wish to find out who his dad is.”
"We’ll go over on the ferry and retrace his last steps to where he landed on gold beach and to where he got killed."
"And then we are going to pay our respects at his grave."
We say thank you to Sonia for sharing her story and they'll be more coverage of the D day 80th anniversary throughout today.