By Kayla Harriss

A D-Day veteran from Kent has marked his 100th birthday.

In June, Peter Smoothy, a former Herne Bay pub landlord, walked the sands of Normandy 80 years on from the Allied troops launching their invasion on the French beach.

And on Tuesday, November 19, Mr Smoothy achieved another milestone, when he turned 100.

Mr Smoothy was just 19 at time of D-Day, having previously attended Simon Langton Boys School in Canterbury.

However he left the school in the early days of the war to join the local fire brigade, and would cycle from one pump station to the next delivering messages.

After being demobbed in 1947, Mr Smoothy went on to run the Four Fathoms pub in Herne Bay High Street for more than 40 years.

He took over from his father-in-law and changed the name from The Railway Hotel. He retired in the late 1980s.

The pub, which operates today under Shepherd Neame, planned a birthday lunch for the veteran but due to recent ill health, the meal has been put on hold.

Despite spending his special day in hospital, he was still thoroughly spoiled with balloons, banners, cake and a birthday card from King Charles and Queen Camilla.

For many years, the grandad-of-two has been a prominent figure in the Normandy Veterans Association and taken part in trips organised by the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans over the years.

His visit to Normandy in June was organised by the Taxi Charity, and marked his sixth visit to the site over the years.

On June 6, 1944, Mr Smoothy crossed the Channel to Juno Beach - one of the two British sectors - on Landing Ship Tank 2015.

‘If our names are on a bullet, it’s our bad luck...’

The vessel carried 28 tanks, 40 lorries and 200 soldiers.

Previously recalling details of the mission, Mr Smoothy said: “There were shells flying all around us and we were lucky not to be hit, but of course we were just one of thousands of boats.

“We were all very young men and said at the time, if our names are on a bullet, it’s our bad luck – we were lucky that our names weren’t.

“When we finally got to the beach it took us three to four hours to unload with shells whizzing over our heads and when we were ready to leave, the tide had ebbed, and we couldn’t get off.

“Fortunately for us, an empty ship isn’t really a target for the enemy, so we spent the day on the beach without being hit and only heard two air raid warnings.”

As Mr Smoothy and his fellow servicemen waited by the shore, 200 German prisoners of war were brought to the ship.

He recalled: “After searching them we put them on the inner deck where they sat quietly smoking, and not causing us any problems, probably very relieved that for them the war was over, and they were safe.”

“We finally got off the beach at 7pm that evening, returned to Southampton, dropped the prisoners of war, reloaded and headed straight back to Juno the next day.”