John WINTLE’s Photo Album.

Arborfield ATS Intake, October 1939.

Photos designated with JW remain the Copyright © of John Wintle.

Not Forgotten Association.

Click on the title above to visit the ‘Not Forgotten Association’ web site.

Battlefield Tour, 1st to the 5th of October 2011.

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John Wintle with Arlette Gondree, current proprietress of the Café Gondree, daughter of M. and Mme. Gondree, the original owners. Located at Benouville, this was the first house in France to be liberated in WWII. and is now famed as the Pegasus Café, standing next to the Pegasus Bridge which spans the Caen canal.

John wrote….

‘I have only today returned from a trip to Normandy with the Not Forgotten Association, revisiting old places that I went to in 1944, but with some of the boys who had fought in Kosovo and Iraq. Will send my photos when I have sorted them out again’.

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Tour members gathering at the Longues Shore Battery.

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Relaxation in the evening.

Bayeux War Cemetery.

Click on the title above to visit the Commonwealth War Graves Commission web site.

In Memory of
Craftsman IAN MACKENZIE SMALL

7944647, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
who died age 37
on 03 September 1944
Son of James and Jessie Campbell Small; husband of Alice Elma Barclay Small.
Remembered with honour
BAYEUX WAR CEMETERY

Commemorated in perpetuity by
the Commonwealth War Graves Commission

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Cardiff.

At a Remembrance Day Service in Cardiff, John laid a wreath of poppies on behalf of the ‘Normandy Veterans Association’.

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Editor’s Note. (Revised 15th June 2015).

On the 5th June 2015, I.T.V. News broadcast several Regional video reports of the Normandy Veterans returning to France, which included interviews with John Wintle (Oct 39). The photos below were clipped from the reports, along with the relevant text. The reports carry the same core information with personal variations. Several links to the individual videos which feature John are available below, but may be restricted to U.K. based viewers only.

Full Copyright © of all the material is acknowledged as belonging to I.T.V.

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I.T.V. News

5th June 2015.

‘Bank fines to fund Normandy trips for D-Day veterans.’

This weekend sees the anniversary of the D-Day landings – the 6th of June 1944, a turning point in the Second World War.

Every year, groups of veterans head to Normandy to visit the places where they fought and to remember those who lost their lives.

Now, veterans are being offered free trips as part of a scheme funded by the huge Libor bank fines.

The government has pledged £1million to help veterans return to Normandy with a carer and a family member.

John Wintle aboard the ferry en-route to France for the 2015 ‘D’ Day Anniversary Commemorations.

On French soil once again, John gave an interview to Lauren Hall of I.T.V. News.

The Normandy Veterans with John Wintle and Arlette Gondree, current proprietress of the Café Gondree, daughter of M. and Mme. Gondree, the original owners. Located at Benouville, this was the first house in France to be liberated in WWII. and is now famed as the Pegasus Café, standing next to the Pegasus Bridge which spans the Caen canal.

71 years on, June 6th 2015, Bayeux Cathedral, Normandy.

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Click below to watch the individual regional reports from ITV's Lauren Hall.

I.T.V. News (Anglia Region).
I.T.V. News (Calendar Region).
I.T.V. News Granada Region).

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Photo Added 1st July 2020.

National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas, Staffordshire. Wednesday, 24th of September 2014.

A service to dedicate the new Normandy Campaign Memorial took place today. The memorial was built to mark the milestone of the 70th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings and the Normandy veterans retiring their colours and disbanding this year.

His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester KG GCVO unveiled the memorial in the presence of around 500 veterans and invited guests.  The service of dedication was led by The Right Reverend Richard Moth MA JCLKC*HS, Bishop to the Armed Forces, and The Reverend (Major) Mandy Reynolds CF, National Chaplain of the Normandy Veterans Association. Immediately prior to the service, veterans watched the flypast of a Dakota and Spitfire.

Funds for the fitting new memorial were raised by The Spirit of Normandy Trust in conjunction with the Normandy Veterans’ Association as a permanent tribute to all the men and women of the Allied offensive which turned the tide of World War II. The memorial replaces an earlier structure installed at the Arboretum by the Normandy Veterans Association 15 years ago, which had begun to deteriorate.

Designer and sculptor, Ian Stewart CM, designed the new 30 feet long memorial, which is based on the geological undulations of the Normandy coastline as seen from offshore and constructed of granite to represent the severity of the task facing the invasion force.

David Baines MBE, President of the Normandy Veterans Association, said: "This wonderful memorial will remind people, particularly a younger generation, of what life was like in 1944 and how the occupation of Europe was put to an end."

Source: Normandy Veterans Memorial

L to R: Paul Ellis, Standard Bearer, South Wales Branch, Normandy Veterans Association.

The Reverend (Major) Mandy Reynolds CF, National Chaplain of the Normandy Veterans Association.

Chevalier, ‘Legion D’Honneur’, Melville Wintle, Normandy Veteran, Arborfield A.T.S. (Boys). Oct 1939.

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Photos Added 15th July 2020.

The Royal British Legion, ‘D-Day + 75’ Voyage of Remembrance.

The Royal British Legion, D-Day 75 Voyage of Remembrance, departed from Dover on Sunday 2nd June 2019. Sailing on board the M.V. Boudicca, up to 300 D-Day veterans, accompanied by their carers, visited ports on both sides of the English Channel for a series of commemorative events. The 'Voyage of Remembrance' was funded by the Royal British Legion's LIBOR Grants, in conjunction with the Ministry of Defence.

H.R.H. Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, met Melville John Wintle, Chevalier, Legion D’ Honneur’, Gentleman of Wales and Arborfield Old Boy, Intake October 1939.

“How are you being treated on the ship?” asked H.R.H. “We are being treated like royalty” came the reply from John. It certainly brought a smile to the face of H.R.H.

First Published: 15th January 2012.

Layout revised and contents Updated: 22nd June 2015.

Latest Update: 15th July 2020.

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Award of the ‘Legion D’Honneur’.