THE VETERAN FOUGHT ON THE BEACHES AT THE AGE OF 24

As he walked on to the stage, the entire crowd - including the Queen, Prince Charles, Donald Trump and Theresa May - rose to honour him.

Mr Jenkins was a 24-year-old platoon sergeant in the Pioneer Corps when he landed in Normandy on June 8, 1944.

He was deployed on Gold Beach, one of the five landing points on the French coast where Allied troops launched their operations.

Mr Jenkins, from Portsmouth, told the crowd: "I was terrified. I think everyone was - you don't show it, but it's there.

"I look back on it as a big part of my life, it changed me in a way - but I was just a small part in a very big machine.

"You never forget your comrades because we were all in there together."

The veteran concluded: "It's right that the courage and sacrifice of so many veterans is being honoured 75 years on.

"We must never forget - thank you."

They remembered the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings - where hundreds of thousands of allies landed on the beaches in France to fight back against the Nazis in World War II.

Other veterans were moved to tears in the emotional service.

Afterwards the Queen, President Trump and Prince Charles met with six veterans at a small reception with the First Lady.

President Trump also wished happy birthday to Joan "Jonni" Berfield, a Wren, who worked as a coder and will be celebrating her 95th birthday on June 7.

Thomas Cuthbert, 93, who served in the D-Day landings off shore from Utah and Omaha beaches, said of the president: "He came across very well, he surprised me, he seemed one of the boys."

I was terrified. I think everyone was - you don't show it, but it's there

D-Day Hero Veteran John Jenkins

The US President read out a prayer that his predecessor Roosevelt shared with the nation as part of the moving service of remembrance in Portsmouth, attended by more than a dozen leaders from around the world.

And Her Majesty gave a speech too, remembering the "heroism, courage and sacrifice of those who lost their lives".

She insisted they will "never be forgotten".

"When I attended the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the D-Day Landings, some thought it might be the last such event. But the wartime generation - my generation - is resilient, and I am delighted to be with you in Portsmouth today.

"It is with humility and pleasure, on behalf of the entire country – indeed the whole free world – that I say to you all, thank you," she added.

300 veterans are set to mark the anniversary in Portsmouth alone, alongside 60,000 members of the public.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9226914/queen-and-donald-trump-to-lead-huge-gathering-of-world-leaders-honouring-d-day-heroes-75-years-on/