Stratford’s Phil Sweet fought in the battle for Gold Beach

ONCE the battle for Gold Beach was over, Stratford war veteran Philip Sweet, now aged 100, was in an allied landing craft when he caught sight of a woman who walked along the beach and placed a rose on the dead bodies lying all around.

It’s just one of the tragic and unforgettable images that Philip, then 18, witnessed on D-Day 6th June.

As a former pupil at King Edward VI School from 1936 to 1941, Philip Sweet was guest of honour when he was invited to the school’s recent Remembrance Day Service which was held in the Guild Chapel on Monday 11th November.

Staff and students also took the opportunity to celebrate Mr Sweet’s recent 100th birthday, by presenting him with a birthday card signed by all KES students as well as sharing a special birthday cake in the staff common room with staff and alumni of the school.

It was also a day for a history lesson like no other when 90 students took part in a question and answer session asking questions about his experience in the military and the D-Day landings in particular; his memories are still vivid 80 years on.

Among those in the audience were Beatrice Scorer, Year 13 and Freddie Curtis, Year 9, who spoke to the Herald this week about what it was like to listen to a D-Day veteran recount his experience of one of the most historic days in history and they admitted, they were “speechless and in awe of an amazing man.”

Beatrice said: “Philip gave students a personal insight about D-Day and what happened when he landed on Gold Beach as an 18-year-old and it was a very balanced account of his feelings and what he saw that day.”

Freddie said: “He was pragmatic with his recollections and it was very important to actually hear someone’s first impressions of D-Day. My great grandfather wouldn’t talk about the Second World War and he would actually shy away from discussing it.”

Casting an eye over the last few months of 2024 and the possible perilous world around us, Beatrice and Freddie were asked if they thought young people today would answer the call to defend their country like Philip did all those years ago.

Beatrice said: “I’m 18 and that’s the same age as Philip was when he was on Gold Beach. I think it’s unimaginable what he actually saw and what happened that day. I’m not sure that young people today would give so freely what previous generations gave in wartime.”

Freddie said: “It’s very difficult to answer because you would lose people that you know. It would be like half the sixth form going to war and half of those people you may never see again but because of people like Philip Sweet he has given us the opportunity we have today.”

Philip Sweet recalled how he was in the landing craft accompanied by some POWs and watched the woman with the roses laying one at a time on the chest of a dead soldier. Freddie described the story and the way Philip told it as like looking back in time at a picture of war.

Concluding a memorable day in school with the help of a D-Day hero both Beatrice and Freddie felt honoured to be in Phililp Sweet’s presence.

“I’ve studied the First and Second World Wars since I was at primary school. It was a valuable opportunity to even be with Philip and I don’t think I’ll get the chance to do it again so it was a privilege to have that time with him,” Beatrice said.

Freddie said: “He was such a lovely man and it was an amazing lesson. He’s seen people die. People can die but you can still live a happy life like Philip has.”

While he was a pupil at KES, Philip Sweet was captain of Warneford House and was awarded his colours for both rugby and cricket.

He had always wished to join the navy, and following training, was promoted to First Lieutenant of a Landing Craft (armoured), with a crew of fifteen and accommodation for three tanks, in preparation for the invasion of Europe on D-Day.

There were extraordinary displays of courage, bravery, resilience and determination and everyone who experienced Normandy on that day 80 years ago, faced his/her own personal ordeal alone.

Headmaster, Bennet Carr, said, “We were delighted that, following our Remembrance Service, Philip kindly agreed to take part in a question and answer session with our students. It is vital to teach younger generations about the cost of war and the value of peace. Philip’s personal experience of pivotal events such as D-Day not only brought history to life but added a layer of humanity to the textbook facts. He gave a valuable insight into the events and sacrifices made in the Second World War but also reminded us of the values he and others sought to defend.”