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D-Day Hero, 103, Celebrates Birthday
18 Oct
Summary
- A 103-year-old former Royal Marine commando is celebrating his birthday.
- He swam to Gold Beach during D-Day to clear dangerous mines.
- A BBC report about his stolen medals reunited him with his sister.
James Laughlin, a 103-year-old former Royal Marine commando, is celebrating his birthday at a care home in Accrington, Lancashire. Laughlin was part of the 17,000 Royal Marines involved in the D-Day invasion, where he swam to Gold Beach with a knife in his mouth to clear mines.
Born in Leeds, Laughlin served from 1941 to 1945 and returned to his trade as a plasterer after the war. He described his mine-clearing efforts in Normandy in 1944 as "just a day's work." Two years ago, his original medals were stolen, but a BBC report about the theft led to a reunion with his sister, whom he had lost contact with.
His manager at Belvedere care home described him as "cheeky" and "amazing for 103." D-Day, the largest seaborne invasion in history, marked the beginning of the liberation of north-west Europe from Nazi occupation.
