Bill from Wellesbourne landed on Gold Beach on D-Day
A STRATFORD family who forged close ties with D-Day veteran Bill Betts are commemorating the Normandy Landings in various ways, today, 6th June.
Nick Milton and his then seven-year-old daughter – Georgia – regularly enjoyed Bill’s company and she even sang some favourite wartime hits to him in Stratford.
Georgia would serenade Bill and other guests with classics like It's a Long Way to Tipperary and Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit-Bag over lunch and a good old British cuppa.
Bill, from Wellesbourne, died in 2018 aged 95 and Georgia, now 14, has his medals and treasures them.
She recently interviewed what’s thought to be the last surviving D Day veteran in Stratford, Philip Sweet, for her school podcast and today a special event will be held at her school in Warwick celebrating his life and that of Bill Betts, who was with Philip on Gold beach.
Her father – Nick – has also authored a new book called 'Children's Propaganda Games of the Second World War' which reveals the war games children were playing as the D Day landings took place 80 years ago.
“To get their attention, many of the games incorporated dramatic artwork and were based on real wartime events from the evacuation of children in 1939 to the dropping of the atomic bomb in 1945,” Nick said.
