We have been talking to some of the men who survived to mark the anniversary of the D-Day landings in northern France.

Stan Ellis, No.3 Commando

VETERAN Stan Ellis was so traumatised by his experences on D-Day, he has never felt able to speak about it – until now.

The 86-year-old is preparing to return to Normandy for the first time to mark the 65th anniversary of the landings.

He wanted to visit the French coast because he thought it would be the last chance he had to pay his respects to his fallen comrades from No.3 Commando, although he has never had the mental strength to return before.

He suffered a deep shrapnel wound in his head during the Normandy landings, after which he spent several months in hospital.

"It's going to be a very emotional experience and I find it very hard to talk about it," said Mr Ellis, who lives in Pudsey, Leeds.

"I saw a lot of my friends killed that day. I'm hoping to visit two or maybe three graves while I'm over there, if I can find them.

"One man got shot down in front of me. Maybe the bullet was meant for me, I don't know. I still have flashbacks today."

Mr Ellis joined the army in 1942 after two of his friends were killed, because he "couldn't stay in Leeds and do nothing".

He completed his initial training with The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders, before moving to No.3 Commando.

The unit suffered heavily during the war and lost many soldiers, during tough stints in North Africa and Sicily.

When he returned to Leeds, Mr Ellis worked as a slaughterman and married his late wife Phyllis in 1947.

They had seven children, while Mr Ellis now has two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

"We were there for a job and we did our job," he added. "We had some great officers who led us all the way.

"It's going to be one of the last memorials with veterans so I thought I'd better do it. I've never felt able to go through with it before.

"I'll be thinking about all my friends who fell while I'm standing there. They were very brave men."

RAF Elvington pilgrimage

VETERANS of the unique French squadrons which operated out of RAF Elvington made a pilgrimage back to the former airbase – now the Yorkshire Air Museum – to mark the 65th anniversary of D-Day.

The five veterans, aged between 87 and 91, were involved in the filming of a French documentary about their lives in York and the operations over Europe conducted from RAF Elvington.

346 Guyenne Squadron and 347 Tunisie Squadron were formed around the remnants of the French Air Force in 1944, with 346 Squadron involved in operations on the Normandy coast just days before D-Day.

Museum director Ian Reed said: "These young men, far away from their homes and their families, had the unenviable task of often bombing their own country, and 50 per cent never made it home. They were brave men and well known throughout York.

"Their stories in this new film are exceptionally heart-warming, especially about the English people, and we were pleased to welcome them "back to base" once again".

Former British Lions star John Bentley will captain a rugby legends side at a charity match in Moortown, Leeds, on Saturday. All money raised from the event, at Moortown Rugby Club, will go to Help for Heroes.

Sydney Parker, Royal Army Ordnance Corps

WHEN 160,000 troops hit the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, 85-year-old veteran Sydney Parker wasn't far behind.

Mr Parker, who now lives in Armley, Leeds, was part of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, serving with 15 Forward Trailer Section.

The unit's job was to follow the soldiers as they advanced into Europe, moving from France to Belgium and then Germany itself.

Mr Parker and his wife Lily return to the beaches of Normandy every year, where they visit the café at Pegasus Bridge – the first place to be liberated by the British Army – and cemeter-ies where some of Mr Parker's friends are buried.

This year, they have also accepted a personal invitation to attend a memorial service at Periers Sur Le Dan.

"It's important to me that we pay regular visits and respect the men who died there," he said. "I know quite a few men who are buried there and we always go and visit their graves. The sacrifices they made are something we should never forget."

Mr Parker met his wife at a dance in Leeds and married her in 1950, while continuing his civilian job as a tailor.

His big family – he is one of nine children – moved between Armley and Wortley, although Mr Parker eventually settled in Armley.

"There were times when the war was very scary," he said. For me, I try to imagine in my head what the beaches were like at that time.

"In Antwerp, they were using V2 bombs and if you heard them coming, you were all right. If you didn't hear them, they got you.

"I once got blown across a room by a bomb and was surrounded by wreckage. It affected me for a long time afterwards."