World War II veteran Douglas Wilson will be a guest of honour at a special D-Day celebration.
Douglas, 91, will be watching the D-Day celebration concert that’s being beamed live from London’s Albert Hall to the Odeon Cinema at the Eagles Meadow shopping centre in Wrexham.
The Odeon has reserved up to 20 complimentary seats for D-Day veterans for the June 6 BBC’s D-Day 70 Years On spectacular.
The incredible story of that momentous day will be retold through drama narration with music from the BBC Concert Orchestra and a military band featuring musicians from all the UK services.
It will be an emotional return for Douglas as he took the young girl who would become his wife of 54 years to the old Odeon cinema, located in the town’s Brook Street on their first date.
Douglas, who has lived in the Wrexham area all his life, is now a resident of Pendine Park care organisation’s Highfield Care Home, and saw action in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany as a young 11th Royal Tank Corp soldier.
He said: “I wasn’t there for D-Day itself we were training. Then a couple of weeks after the landings we were on the range when we were told go home and get our stuff and report to Fareham, near Portsmouth.
“We had no idea what was happening or were we were going. We were then sent over to France on TLC’s, which were tank landing craft. This was just after D-Day itself. We ended up just south of Caen, at the time of the Battle of Caen which was fierce and very nasty.
“I was only about 20 at the time. We saw a lot of action right through France and Belgium and up into Holland. Montgomery told us if we open up Antwerp the war would be over by Christmas but he was wrong. I ended up in Germany after Holland.”
Douglas has mixed feelings about the war and the role he played in it.
He said: “It wasn’t nice and I lost a lot of good friends, young lads my age. But you accepted it and just got on with it. I forget which beach we landed on now it was north of the American beaches.
“I’m glad I wasn’t there for D-Day itself in truth, I spoke to lads who were there and they said how terrible it was. It was bad enough going there a couple of weeks after. The thing was we had to get a foot-hold.”
He added: “The one thing I wished I’d done, and loads of lads did, was get a container of sand from the French beach as a keepsake. I always wished I’d done that.
“And I’m glad they are still remembering D-Day now even though it was 70 years ago. It’s important the sacrifices lots of people made aren’t forgotten.”
Born in Ruabon, Douglas says after the war ended he returned to the area and continued work in the building trade as a skilled plasterer.
He said: “I married Rosemary and we were happily married for 54 years until she passed away a few years ago. We had two children, Phillip and Jane, and I now have five wonderful grandchildren.
“I struggle to walk now and have been a resident of Highfield House Care Home since before Christmas. I really enjoy it, the staff are wonderful and there is always plenty to do.
“I will certainly be hoping to come to the D-Day concert here at the Odeon. It will bring back memories not just of the war but of Rosemary. Our first date was at the Odeon when it was in Brook Street many years ago.”
Odeon manager Andy Elvis says the D-Day 70 Years On event will be screened live and the cinema will be giving up to 20 complimentary tickets to the Royal British Legion for any D-Day veterans wishing to attend.
Andy said: “We are working closely with the Royal British Legion here in Wrexham to identify veterans who are still alive and who may wish to attend. We believe these brave men deserve to enjoy complimentary seats for what will be a spectacular celebration.
“This event is proving hugely popular and tickets are selling very quickly. It may well be we will have to take a decision to use a second screen should the first theatre sell-out as expected.
“Screenings of live events is proving increasingly popular with cinema goers who enjoy seeing the action close-up on big screens. Anyone intending to book tickets for the June 6 event need to get in quickly as they are really selling fast.”
Tickets for D-Day 70 Years On at the Odeon cinema, Eagles Meadow are £15. For details call the cinema on 0871 2244 007.
