FOR one veteran of the D-Day landings, this week's commemorative events will be more about those who aren't there than those who are.

Fred Hartley, of Berriedale Road, in Nelson, will travel to France with the Royal British Legion on his 83rd birthday - more than 60 years after he answered the call to arms.

The trip, which includes a medal presentation in Hermanville, will be his first and last opportunity to visit the graves of his fallen comrades from the 53rd Medium Regiment.

Fred has lived in Nelson all his life and worked in the cotton industry before being called up at the age of 19.

He was forced to leave his wife Elsie and family behind to go and join the London-based regiment as an observation post signaller.

Despite his memories of the comradeship and occasional humorous moments, he said his lasting memories of wartime are of "learning about man's inhumanity towards man."

Although Fred's regiment had planned to reach France on D-Day, they eventually landed in the early morning of June 7, D-Day plus one. He remembers: "We all felt a lot of excitement and also apprehension. You didn't want to let anyone down.

"It wasn't fear because you didn't know what would happen.

"It was afterwards, when you thought about it, you were afraid.

"We landed in the morning, went to gun positions in the afternoon and were in action by the evening. Then it just went on every day."

One of Fred's strongest memories from the time he spent in France is of watching a raid of 1,000 Allied bombers on Caen.

He said: "You can't imagine what it's like to see the sky full of aircraft dropping bombs and you can't see anything else.

"They weren't even bombing us but the noise made me sick.

"It was man's inhumanity towards man on display."

After the war, Fred served in Palestine before returning home to his wife and to his old job in the textile industry, where he worked until he retired as a grandfather-of-four. This week is the first time he has taken part in an overseas trip to remember the D-Day landings.

He said: "It will probably be the last time there's a big celebration for us because there won't be many left when it gets to 70 years.

"The reason I'm taking part is because I want to remember those who won't be there and that's what it's about for me.

"The soldiers who took part in D-Day are no more or less special than those who fought in Burma or Italy, though they are less celebrated.

"It is all those who didn't come back from wherever they fought that we must remember."