Irish war veterans mark 66th anniversary of Allied invasion

More than half a century since D-Day, the triumphs and tragedies of the Second World War are still crystal clear in the memory of veteran Johnny Wetherall.

The 85-year-old and other former soldiers gathered in the grounds of a special Dublin hospital for ex-British Armed Forces servicemen today to mark the 66th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe.

Mr Wetherall - who escaped a German prisoner-of-war camp after fighting in the Battle of Arnhem - now lives full-time in the Leopardstown Park Hospital, set up in 1917 to treat disabled and injured soldiers.

As the peaceful grounds were transformed into a replica battlefield with authentic vehicles and military re-enactments, the former glider pilot said it was important for younger generations to learn what happened during the war.

"It's about knowing what their forbears did, and also knowing it was not much fun," he said.

"War isn't a game. All these things sit very, very fresh in your memory and they're traumatic in the extreme."

The Oxford-born ex-sergeant was just 17 when he signed up with the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry.

During the bloody battle at Arnhem in Holland Mr Wetherall was hit in the cheekbone by an explosive bullet and went on to have his right eye removed.

He was captured by German soldiers and taken to a prisoner-of-war camp, but managed to escape on foot around nine months later.

Mr Wetherall moved to Dublin shortly after the war and has remained in the capital ever since.

"The alternative to joining the forces for people like me was to be subjected to what was happening in Europe at that time," he said.

"It's all history now. It all seems so impossible when you look back on it, you think those things didn't happen, but they did."

Around 20 former service personnel still receive treatment at the hospital, which caters for around 260 patients a week.

For Ita Corrigan, from Kells in Co Meath, signing up in 1939 was a chance to travel to far-off places.

The 89-year-old's role as a field nurse with the Queen Alexandra Military Nursing service took her to Algeria.

"People said why did you join the British Army - it was to see the world on someone else's expense," she said.

"It was great experience and you certainly saw men at their weakest.

"It was hard work, too - nursing is nursing whatever form it takes."

John Crisp, who joined the North Irish Horse regiment in 1941 while studying at Trinity College Dublin, said he enjoyed sharing his experiences with other veterans at the hospital.

"For years you tended to keep your war service under wraps, but now things are much more open," he said.

"It's much easier to talk to people that have been there and done that than it is to explain it to people who haven't been."

The 86-year-old, who spent five years as a tank driver in North Africa and Europe, said he had no regrets about his part in the war effort.

"There were some hairy moments and some good times," he added.

"I think we did the right thing. I'm very proud of the small part that I played."