Brits who saved Netherlands from Nazis issue 'fragile peace' warning before big mission

Heroic veterans heading out to what could be their final mission are warning of a “fragile peace” as they urge Brits to “remember all those buried in cemeteries around the ”. Ahead of , a group of 20 are this weekend joining the Taxi Charity For Military Veterans, to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands.

On Saturday joins them as they are to be given a escort and a hero’s welcome in the Netherlands, after leaving on an overnight ferry from Harwich on Friday. During the events to mark the end of a five-year occupation of the Netherlands, children will descend on the British veterans with bouquets of flowers to thank those who helped release them from Nazi rule.

On May 4 each year, the Netherlands observes a Day of Remembrance, then a national celebration the next day, where the Dutch people express their love to those who saved them from a war and a famine.

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Among those returning heroes will be Geoff Roberts, who was 19 when thousands around him died. Geoff, who will be 100 in June, was at the when British and US troops took part in the ­biggest airborne invasion ever - an incredible 60 miles behind enemy lines. Two of his best friends are buried there and he has left instructions for his ashes to be buried between their graves.

“As someone who was there, I believe it’s more important than ever that we continue to remember. Not for our sake, but for the generations that follow. The cost of freedom was enormous, lives were lost, futures were changed and it should never be taken for granted," he said. “These anniversaries are a chance to honour those who didn’t come home and to remind the world why peace must always be protected.”

UK-based Taxi Charity Vice President Dick Godwin said: “This trip means the world to the veterans. “ On May 5, Dutch Liberation Day, veterans will lead the military parade through Wageningen - where the German surrender was signed.

“Tens of thousands of people will line the streets, clapping, cheering, and thanking the men and women who helped free their country. The applause will be overwhelming. The atmosphere is electric, emotional, and unforgettable - and these veterans deserve every moment of it.”

Another of the greatest generation going is veteran Marie Scott, who is 99 in June, from New Malden, who ended up as a teenager with “the horror of war in my ears” as she received coded messages. The young wren listened to men screaming in agony during the Normandy Landings from a secret base in the tunnels of Fort Southwick in Hampshire, in cliffs overlooking Portsmouth Harbour.

The mum-of-two and great gran to three told The how she joined up aged just 17 and it changed her forever. She recalls listening on her headset: “First of all I was a little bemused but soon realised I was in the middle of the war. I was with the guys who were landing on the beaches of Normandy.

“Men were dying, they were being shot down by this incessant machine gun-fire, you could hear it. I was distant but yet near, because I could hear it so clearly. You suddenly thought ‘this is a war’ I really had the war in my ears. And it made me very much aware of what was at stake. I felt horror to begin with but then it hit me I’m there to do a job and better get on with it.

“It was the chaos of war. Men were shouting orders, men were shouting to themselves or to their friends, men were screaming. That was horrifying. It had an immediate impact on me. This is why 80 years on I can recall it now. It will stay with me until the end of my days. In many ways it was a salutary lesson about the horrendous nature of war and war is something that should be avoided at all costs.

“I do worry about it happening again because we have lunatics in charge of the world today, lunatics. We are closer to war than ever and violence continues today. There goes the insanity of war. Trump is a travesty, as is Putin but Putin is far more dangerous and he is playing with Trump and Trump has no idea. I feel we are very close to another war, it is a volatile situation. This peace is fragile, very fragile and we have lunatics in charge.

“The most important thing we can all do is make sure it doesn't happen again... We have to do everything to prolong that peace otherwise it makes a mockery of a war like that, if you learn nothing from that. It’s a travesty.”

This year Marie, from London, will be spending VE Day at Westminster Abbey for a service with the King and Queen. But 80 years ago the huge crowds in London stopped her from seeing the in on the balcony.

“My friend very sensibly changed into civvies but I couldn’t be bothered and went in uniform which I immediately regretted as soon as I came out of the tube and into the masses," she said.

“The sight of a woman in uniform was a signal for any man to come up and plant kisses on you and some were bearable but others were totally repellent. But the atmosphere was joyous. It was an immense occasion. The war was over, the killing would stop, it was a mixed bag of emotions. ”

Robbie Hall, 102, who joined Marie for their trip, lied about her age to become a WAAF when she was just 17. At the time of D-Day she was with Fighter Command but her joy and hope at the news of the invasion was mixed with heartbreak as her fiancé had just been killed when his Lancaster was shot down.

Of her concerns about world peace, she said: “ just grabbed the land without provocation and they did that in the Crimea. And if they did that once they can do it twice. Poland is frightened to death it'll be them next. Where will it stop? We walk a very tight line, things have got so much more dangerous these days. You'd only need a couple of nuclear bombs, and that'll be it for the most of us.”

One of the oldest poppy sellers in the country, John Dennett, 99, who lives in Merseyside, joined the Royal Navy against his mum’s wishes at the age of 17 in 1942.

He was awarded the Legion of D’Honneur medal for his valour and given an MBE in the 2023 New Years Honours list. But he sheds a tear as he says that the “real heroes” died so young.

John served as a gunner in the navy and described D-Day as not the worst of his war-time experiences; that title goes to Salerno, Italy when the Nazis were waiting for them and bombs exploded all around him.

He said: “I’ve had a wonderful life and I am looking forward to celebrating VE Day because of those who died.” He urges Brits to remember what others did to give the nation freedom.

“I don’t want to die but I’ve got to die. My memory is beginning to leave me… I hope we all remember all those lying in cemeteries all round the world. We must remember the heroes who didn’t come back. We’ve got to try and prevent the war. And remember those who got us where we are today.

“These modern nuclear bombs would wipe out everything. You’d get Armageddon. You don’t want to be part of that. I've enjoyed the freedom. I'm a lucky one. I've got 80 years of bloody freedom. I am lucky. I've survived. I am one of the survivors.”

Another survivor, Jamaican Second World War veteran Gilbert Clarke, also feels lucky, as he had several near misses during the war.

He joined the Royal Air Force at 16 after reading newspaper reports of German ships being sighted in the Caribbean. The 98-year-old, who was born in Montego Bay, joined the RAF as a mechanic and was then posted to South Virginia in the United States. Mr Clarke recalled feeling a sense of duty to help stop Hitler.

Talking about the journey from the US to the UK with the new recruits, he said: "In the Atlantic, many, many ships joined us and every now and again, the ships were torpedoed."

Gilbert, who now lives in London, went on: “We were in a convoy of many ships moving towards Europe and then boom one goes down, of course you feel the blast. The first one was two miles from America.

“We felt the blast and all ran down below deck, I was scared. We got ourselves together. I suppose we are servicemen and went back on deck to watch what’s going on and count how many ships were remaining. We were not the only ones running up and down the deck. “

He says he hopes youngsters in the UK will “needle” the Government to find more ways to keep the peace. “The grownups make a mess of it and it's the youngsters who have to clean it up,” he said.

Of the threat of war, he added: “It’s getting warmer and warmer because of the threat of war. We are building up to World War III.” He told of several close calls throughout the war including one occasion as he went to the YMCA at Westminster, a few yards from Parliament.

“I was crossing over Westminster bridge and there were the men with canes and top hats. There was an explosion and a building was demolished and a sheet of glass chopped one of their heads off.

“I was just a few yards away. The man hit was wearing a top hat on and was a parliamentarian. In those days man, woman and child - anything could happen to you. I thought one day it could be me.“

Gilbert said of VE Day: “I was relieved the whole thing was over. All the bombs and planes would stop. I do feel lucky. Tried to help rescue people from the rubble. There was always something happening, there was never a peaceful day.”

John King, aged 100, served with the Royal Navy during bombardments of both coasts of Italy including landings at Anzio where his ship was sunk. Tragically 160 of John’s shipmates were killed and only 52 survived.

John said: “The Taxi Charity is a lifeline for so many of us veterans…They never forget us. The volunteers, especially the London cabbies, giving their time and their hearts to make sure we’re cared for. It’s more than a charity - it’s a family.”