The Lucky Ones Grow Old Exhibition

The News, Portsmouth

The D-Day Story has a free photo exhibition of Normandy and Second World War veterans opening from 19 December to 18 January.  The exhibition, The Lucky Ones Grow Old, features portraits of veterans by Matt Sills taken at The D-Day Story during the D-Day 80 anniversary week this year.

Transcript

00:00What is this all standing for?

00:05What's going on here?

00:07What?

00:08What's going on here?

00:10What are you standing there for?

00:13What?

00:14Well, well, well.

00:16What do you think that would be, hun?

00:31Pictures of yourself now as well, you do on the floor but not me.

00:36That is a picture of a decent soft way to look at it.

00:43I should be a hundred six months time.

00:48That's brilliant.

00:50I taught the king this.

00:52I'm sure you'll make it to a hundred.

00:55When he said he was going home to get out my card and start filling out my card.

01:00Yes, he's a nice gentleman.

01:03A portrait is around in lots of places and it's true to form, right?

01:09Yeah, it's true to form.

01:11Yeah.

01:12And what do you think of the exhibition as a whole with some of the other people who

01:18have got that portrait taken right beside you?

01:21Well, I've only seen John there.

01:24John there, yes, I've only seen him but it looks very interesting.

01:29There's plenty of space.

01:32Plenty of space for people to be seen, to be asked questions.

01:40No, it's very lively actually.

01:43This is my first time in such an occasion, in such a place to be.

01:52But I do recognise myself and I recognise my awards as well.

01:58Yeah, very happy to be here.

02:00Very happy to be here.

02:02And what do you think of your story being displayed in such a way that people can come

02:07to the exhibition and read about your work or your service?

02:10What I've done in the past, my service?

02:13Well, it's true and it's worth listening to what I experienced.

02:23And it has left me with ironed army legs but I cope.

02:33I cope.

02:37And I've got a nice family to grow up with me and we're very happy.

02:48Very happy.

02:50Very happy family man.

02:53And Stan, what do you think of there being information about what life was like after the war?

02:59The contrast from what you did in your service but also some information about what you've done since.

03:04What do you think of that being a part of the exhibition?

03:07Well, in a case like that, if you were wounded, injured at all,

03:15and it tends to go with you when you leave the forces, but they do take care of you.

03:24They do take, in spite of what people say, they do take care of you.

03:31And they wouldn't do it otherwise.

03:34It does. I was determined that when it was my turn to meet a lady and to start a family,

03:45I was determined that my family would be a normal family.

03:51Normal family. We would do things that normal people do.

03:57And my children would not suffer in any way.

04:00They wouldn't go without anything because of who I was and what I had endured.

04:14They had a very good family.

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