A D-DAY veteran has achieved his dream by having his regiment’s contribution to the Normandy landings immortalised on a plaque in France.

Thomas Kelly, aged 93, of Mardale Avenue, Orford, first contacted the Warrington Guardian in the summer of 2007.

He was upset that no celebrations were held to mark the 63rd anniversary of the day that sparked the beginning of the end of the Second World War in 1944 and that his efforts may have been forgotten.

He said: “I had visited France on a trip funded by the National Lottery and when I was over there this guy was telling us about the war. I said I was a D-Day veteran and he asked what I did and I said I was on a Rhino raft.

“He told me had never heard of them. I told him the name of my regiment but he had never heard of it. It really got up my nose.”

The Monks Hall steel worker was one of 25 men from 966 Royal Engineers Inland Water Transport who joined the Canadian, Scottish and Winnipeg Rifles in the landing on Juno Beach.

It was Mr Kelly’s job to help transport supplies by maintaining the engines on Rhino rafts.

He said: “When we were loading up the Rhinos General Montgomery another general actually came to look at them. He said, ‘any problems?’ I said ‘no sir’ and he said ‘good’.

“We were supposed to go on June 5 but it got cancelled because of the weather. When we embarked on June 6 everybody was quiet as a mouse going over, all you could hear was retching and people being sick.

“I was at the back because I was driving by one of the engines and when we landed I couldn’t see a lot.

“But I could hear the Canadian assault troops who went first. By the time we got off half of them were dead.

“We went back and forth getting and unloading supplies. I survived a day and night, avoiding land mines and gunfire. I don’t talk about it much, I don’t like to talk about the things I saw.”

After an article ran in the Warrington Guardian, the Royal Engineer Sapper, who left a wife, a son and his unborn daughter behind when he set off for the conflict at the age of 27, was contacted by a man called Conrad Lowen.

He said: “I got a letter in the post from a man who was looking for someone who was in the same regiment as his dad, who died when he was young.

“We shared information and old photographs. I knew his dad, he was 6ft 8in. With him being so tall I didn’t associate with him much because he made me look short!

“Conrad came from Gatwick to see me and he brought a medal with him that he wanted me to have. And then he said ‘I think we need a plaque to remember the regiment’.”

Mr Lowen began a long fight to have the men of 966 Royal Engineers Inland Water Transport recognised.

Mr Kelly added: “We landed with the Canadians. They took all the glory, which they earned, no doubt about it, but people didn’t know we were there.

“Conrad wrote to Cananda and got a message from the Minister of Defence, who found out what we did. He then visited France and he managed to sort it out.

“In the end he got permission for a parade to go through Courseulles.

“I went over with him and my grandson and there was a big reception. I met the Mayor of Courseulles and was given medals from Canada.

“I’m so grateful to Conrad – I’ve never seen a bloke put as much energy into anything in my life.

“He said: ‘It’s for you Tom I’m doing this, for you and my dad’.

“There were that many people there for the reception – I thought I was in Hollywood.

“It was like a fairy story to me. It’s unbelievable that he contacted me and he made this happen.”

Mr Kelly has been married for 68 years to Ivy, aged 89, who worked at Whitecross on munitions.

He has three children, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.