AN 80-year-old D-Day veteran was asked to leave Sunday's Gallipoli parade in Bury because he and his wife were too slow, it has been claimed.
Now, the Lancashire Fusiliers Association (LFA) has launched an investigation into the allegation by old soldier Walter Jones and his wife, Jean, and have vowed to take action against the person if it is proved he made the request to the couple.
Mrs Jones said the person responsible was a member of the Rochdale branch of the LFA.
She said: "Walter and I were walking with the LF veterans during the second leg of the parade. Neither of us is a fast walker and Walter uses a stick. He is 80.
"A man from the Rochdale branch approached us and said we were walking too slow and we were holding up the rest of the parade. He asked us to step aside.
"The rest of the veterans marched further ahead and we lost them. We ended up walking with the TA soldiers and the sailors but we completed the parade."
She added: "This man was very disrespectful to Walter. It was an insult to him as a veteran of the Second World War."
The great-grandfather, of Nuttall Street, Bury, joined the 2nd Battalion of the Lancashire Fusiliers in 1942 but transferred to the Royal Engineers when the Normandy Landings took place on June 6. He was demobbed in 1945.
Captain John O'Grady, area secretary of the Lancashire Fusilier Association based at Wellington Barracks in Bury, has promised a thorough investigation into Mrs Jones's claims and swift punishment if the allegations are correct.
He said: "The annual parade is for surviving Lancashire Fusiliers to pay tribute to their fallen comrades, not just at Gallipoli but in other campaigns in the regiment's history.
"All LF veterans, not matter what their age, will be welcome. We have never turned people away and we are not going to start now.
"If we can find the culprit, and he admits this gross error, then he will be dealt with harshly."
Capt O'Grady added: "I have never seen so many members of the public turn out for our Gallipoli parade; maybe the weather helped.
"But the cheers and applause for the veterans were louder for Second World War veterans like Walter."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article