John Whittingdale attended the Echoes of History event organised by the Essex Historic Military Vehicle Association which took place at the Living Memorial Gardens in Rettendon, Essex.
John is Patron of the Essex HMVA and said: “It was great that the HMVA were able to hold their annual event once again after the Pandemic and to see so many exhibitors and visitors there. The Living Memorial Gardens provided a perfect venue with trees planted in commemoration of individual servicemen who lost their lives in service of their country”.
At the show, John also met Don Sheppard who is a Normandy veteran from Laindon and is aged 102.
Don joined the Royal Engineers in 1940 and trained at the Colchester Barracks before being deployed. He ended up first being posted to the 107 Field Company Royal Engineers in North Africa. Following this, his company joined the 51st Highland Division for landings in Sicily, Italy, to fight the Axis Forces based there. Following successes in Italy, his company was returned to the UK in 1944 to take part in the D-Day Landings, the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord. He also was one of the soldiers who liberated the Bergen-Belsen Nazi concentration camp in 1945.
John said: “It was a real honour to meet Don who is one of the last remaining D-day veterans, to whom we owe so much”.
