[No title available]

Nurs Older People. 2004 Jun 1;16(4):4. doi: 10.7748/nop.16.4.4.s4.

Abstract

St Dunstan's, the charity for blind ex-Service men and women, is commemorating this month's 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings with a spectacular rocket and light display linking all the towns and cities along the south coast that participated in the D-Day departures. Embarkation for the biggest military invasion of World War Two began on June 2 1944 on the beaches of Falmouth. Among the 'St Dunstaners' who took part were Fred Bentley (pictured left, with a guide) who, as a 20-year-old, was blinded when a German grenade exploded in front of him during the battle for Caen in northern France after the Allied invasion. Also pictured (inset) is Bob Osborne who was in the first wave of troops landing on the Normandy beaches. He, too, was 20 at the time and lost a leg, an arm and his sight under fire from enemy tanks. For many years he ran the newsagent at St Dunstan's main centre for training, rehabilitation and support near Brighton.