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98-Year-old D-Day Veteran Recreates Photo With Belgian Boy Who Befriended Him During WWII
A 98-year-old D-Day veteran has recreated a photo taken with a Belgian boy whose family took him in 76 years ago.
Culture & Entertainment
A 98-year-old D-Day veteran has recreated a photo taken with a Belgian boy whose family took him in 76 years ago.
George ‘Bunny’ Avery was a sapper in the Royal Engineers and part of the second wave of troops to land on Normandy’s Sword Beach beaches on D-Day, 6 June 1944.
On that fateful day, he was dropped close to the shoreline by his landing craft, and as he made his way to the beach he said he “just kept running.” In his mind, he was telling himself, “Keep your head down boy!”
George advanced through Nazi-occupied Europe, building portable bridges which allowed troops and vehicles to travel at speed across rivers and canals.
During his wartime journey across the continent, George stayed at a bakery in the Belgian town of Peer with a family who gave him board and lodgings.
It was 1944 and George and some other soldiers were building bridges nearby.
While staying with the town bakers, George made good friends with the 6-year-old boy of the household.
That boy’s name was Urbain, and when the family had their photo taken to remember their time with George, he and Urban were were pictured hugging.