Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for vision-impaired ex-Service men and women, is calling for people to take on a fundraising challenge in the month of June to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day and National Armed Forces Day.
On 6 June, the United Kingdom will come together to commemorate the Normandy landings. This historic operation saw the Allied Forces mount the largest seaborne mission in history which resulted in the liberation of France and ultimately changed the course of the Second World War in favour of victory for the Allies.
Almost 133,000 troops from the Allied Forces landed on D-Day. 4,414 Allied troops were killed and over 5,000 were wounded, these men paid the ultimate sacrifice.
Blind veteran John McOwan, 103, and from Peebles, joined the Royal Artillery in 1939 at the age of 18 and was with them for nine months before the Second World War broke out. He was then transferred to the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.
During the war, John was a Desert Rat and was stationed in the Middle East and Italy before taking part in the D-Day Landings.
He said: “We were in camps near Felixstowe and just prior to the mission we boarded the landing crafts and sailed the English Channel overnight and then laid anchor off the beaches in the morning of D-Day.
“Some of us had to lay to for some time before we could get ashore which wasn’t very comfortable when we were under fire from the Luftwaffe. But it was an epic sight to see so many ships in one area that one had the feeling you could almost walk from one ship to another.”
John lost his sight due to macular degeneration and he has a pseudophakia (false lens) in both eyes. John has no vision in his left eye and only a small amount of vision in his right eye.
In 2019, John joined a group of veterans on an organised trip to Normandy to mark 75 years since the D-Day Landings. During the trip a lot of memories that had laid dormant for many years were rekindled. A few months later, the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic led John to write his memoirs with the support of Blind Veterans UK.
John said: “Everything the charity does to help veterans makes a huge difference to our quality of life. When writing my memoirs, the charity provided a volunteer to write up my handwritten notes, wide-lined paper, a magnifier and lighting.”
Blind Veterans UK has many activities planned to ensure the veterans they support can be part of commemorations and celebrations taking place throughout June.
If you, or your organisation, are looking for ways you can mark this poignant month, while also raising money to provide life changing support to veterans like John, there are lots of ways in which you can do this.
Perhaps you could highlight the 80th anniversary of D-Day by getting creative with “80” or step back in time to the 1940s.
You could plan a fundraising challenge with an £80 target per person, bake 80 cakes for your work colleagues, walk, run or cycle 80 kilometres during the month of June or hold a 1940s tea dance.
If you would like to find out more about taking on a challenge for Blind Veterans UK visit the charity’s website: blindveterans.org.uk/afm
John is one of 16 veterans that have been interviewed about their D-Day experiences by Blind Veterans UK to commemorate the 80th anniversary. His full story will be shared in a special commemorative booklet on the Blind Veterans UK website.
Blind Veterans UK supports thousands of blind veterans across the country, but knows there are many thousands more who still need its support to rebuild their lives after sight loss.
If you, or someone you know, served in the Armed Forces, including National Service, and are now struggling with sight loss, then please get in touch.
Call 0800 389 7979 or visit: blindveterans.org.uk/gethelp
