Navy boss shares personal story amid WW2 veteran battlefield visit funding

Second World War veterans will have their travel overseas for commemorations of the Normandy Landings and the Battle of Arnhem covered by the government.

First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkins told GB News that the funding would demonstrate “how important” veterans are to British society.

The Ministry of Defence said that its funding commitment would ensure that those who served can attend remembrance ceremonies in Europe.

The number of surviving Second World War veterans in Britain is estimated at fewer than 8,000.

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Taxpayer funds will be provided to the Royal British Legion to support charities such as The Spirit of Normandy Trust and The Taxi Charity for Military Veterans, who facilitate visits to France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Sir Gwyn said: “It demonstrates that we are committed to them being able to make commemoration, particularly where they want to go and see, for instance, their mates who didn't make it back, who haven't been lucky enough to live to a 100 years.

“And they can make that journey to make the personal demonstration of how important it was to them, and we can demonstrate how important they are to us.”

The First Sea Lord told the People’s Channel that Veterans provide a “really important way for us to be able to tangibly show the sacrifices that were required to sustain the society that we love, and that we have to be prepared to make sure that we learn from the challenges of the past in order to keep the society safe.”

General Sir Gwyn shared with GB News a personal story about his grandfather’s Second World War service.

“I was lucky enough to discuss with my grandfather his experiences on D-Day before he passed away. It made a really powerful impression upon me. He described going across on D-Day, landing on the British beaches. He was a medic at the time, [it] deeply affected him for his whole life.

“But ultimately he was really proud of what he'd been able to do on that day and what it meant for our society. If if we can just have a part of that connecting with the modern generation through these veterans, then I think it will help people understand just what is required to sustain the peace, security and the amazing society that we live in and from the commitment of our servicemen and women and the and the communities that support them.”

Sir Gwyn, a former commander of the Special Boat Service, told GB News that “like everybody else,” he was “eager to see a result” on the Spending Review and the Defence Investment Plan, which is long overdue.

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“I can only tell you that we're working really hard to make sure that we get a successful conclusion that will make sure that the armed forces goes from strength to strength and does what it needs to do to protect this nation.”

It comes as the Financial Times reports that the Prime Minister is “scrambling” to resolve a cross-Whitehall dispute over the budget.

A government spokesperson said on Thursday: “The Defence Investment Plan will deliver the best kit and technology into the hands of our frontline forces at speed, while investing in and growing the UK economy. We are working to finalise the Plan and it will be published as soon as possible.”

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