Roy Cockburn owes his life simply to a decision to take a breath of fresh air on the deck of a troop carrier on the morning of June 24, 1944.

The Derrycunihy was moored off Sword beach awaiting instructions to land its cargo of men and machinery in France.

While most were still below decks – many in their bunks –the captain made the fatal decision to start the engines, triggering an acoustic mine.

Roy, just 20 at the time and a second lieutenant in the 43rd Reconnaissance Regiment, says the blast ripped out one of the holds where many of the men were still resting.

"It was ghastly. The ship broke in two and half of it sank, killing many instantly. There were so many bodies, you couldn’t tell who was who" - Mr Cockburn

He said: “I still remember it vividly. It was ghastly. The ship broke in two and half of it sank, killing many instantly. There were so many bodies, you couldn’t tell who was who.

“I got in a rowing boat to try and rescue some of them in the water, but it was to no avail. Those who had survived the blast died from swallowing oil. Recovering the bodies was very difficult.

“It was just fortunate that I was never one for lying in bed after waking up. I went up on deck about seven in the morning for some fresh air and just got lucky.”

Some 180 men died in the tragedy, which was the biggest single loss of life in the Normandy landings, but it was not widely publicised at the time for fear of damaging morale.

Roy, a father-of-three and great-grandad who lives in Bridge, says laying the wreath on behalf of his regiment tomorrow will be emotional and insists the men who died must not be forgotten.

For Kent veteran George Batts, the VE celebrations were coloured by the knowledge that the very next day, he would be shipping out to the Middle East

Watch: George Batts on his experience of VE Day

He said: “We were a close-knit bunch who had been training together for two years and there was an excellent camaraderie.

“It was a serious blow to morale when we hadn’t even landed in France.

“To be honest, I think it ruined the regiment and, although we went on to do our job, it had crushed our spirit.”

Roy had not needed to be in France at all. He was a medical student, which was a reserved occupation.

His father and grandfather were both veterinary surgeons and he was expected to follow their path. But, against his parents’ wishes, he signed up, initially with the Royal Howards, and began training as an officer at Sandhurst.

He was sent to France just two weeks after marrying his late wife Lynne.

Roy was to face many more dangers as the British troops pressed on through France and into Germany in a bid to bring the war to an end.

As a member of a reconnaissance regiment, it was his job to take a small party of men ahead to identify enemy positions.

His bravery on one such operation was later rewarded with a Military Cross.

It happened at Celle in Germany, where Roy and his men came under fire from an enemy machine-gun post.

“I thought to myself, if I leave this chap with a serious head wound he won’t last, so I decided to get him out of it” - Mr Cockburn

He said: “It was in the countryside and four of our men were shot, although they fortunately survived.

“But one chap next to me got shot in the head and went down. He was still alive but had fallen down on lower ground right in front of the enemy position.

“I thought to myself, if I leave this chap with a serious head wound he won’t last, so I decided to get him out of it.”

Roy helped drag and carry the man to safety while under machine-gun and mortar fire.
“It was a bit of a problem, but I thought never mind,” he recalls.

“I then handed him over to the medics. He did survive, but I never met him again, although I had a letter from him about five weeks later thanking me for saving his life.

"I was very pleased to hear it. At least it was worthwhile. Unfortunately, I lost the letter some years ago.

“It was nice to get the Military Cross, but to be honest I was more pleased he got back safely.
“I suppose I was fortunate to survive. I just got lucky again and eventually got home in one piece.”

After the war, Roy was promoted to captain and sent to India to serve in the Tactical and Administration School, where he was joined by his wife.

He then worked in the War Office in London, helping to repatriate Poles.

He never pursued a career in veterinary surgery and worked in the packaging industry.

He married Dorothy after the death of his first wife. She died in 2009.

What is VE Day?

Victory in Europe, generally known as VE Day, was the public holiday celebrated on May 8, 1945 (May 7 in Commonwealth realms), to mark the formal acceptance by the Allies of the Second World War of Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender of its armed forces.

It thus marked the end of the war in Europe.

On the defeat of Germany (Italy having already surrendered), celebrations erupted throughout the world.

From Moscow to Los Angeles, people celebrated.

In the United Kingdom, more than one million people celebrated in the streets to mark the end of the European part of the war.

VE Day events

• This year Kent will be joining national beacon-lighting to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of VE Day.
• It will take place at the new Wing at the Battle of Britain Memorial Site in Capel-le-Ferne, which was recently opened by Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.
• The beacon will be lit by county council chairman Eric Hotson at 9.30pm.
• At the same time the Whitstable branch of the Royal British Legion will be lighting a beacon at Duncan Down, Whitstable, at 9.30pm; this event will be supported by cadets from all three services.
• There is also a service at the Buttermarket in Canterbury; WW2 veterans will be laying a wreath.

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