The Last Post at Hull Cenotaph on this year’s Remembrance Sunday will also signal the start of the last year of existence of the Normandy Veterans Association (NVA) in Hull and nationwide.

To mark the occasion – and to honour the bravery of his 95-year-old grandfather and comrades in arms – the licensee of a city centre pub will launch a fund-raising campaign to support the veterans through their last year of activities.

Mike Black, landlord of the White Horse Hotel in Carr Lane, Hull, switched the emphasis of his event after hearing of the Hull branch of the NVA from grandfather Wilfred – known as Bill to fellow members – who lives on Orchard Park Estate.

“We were planning to raise funds for one of the military charities with a race afternoon, auction and raffle in the pub,” said Mike.

“But then we heard that the NVA will disband next year, we looked at the events they have planned and we decided to support them and the carers who accompany them in their activities.”

The NVA was formed for the British survivors of D-Day – 6 June 1944 – and the ten weeks of fighting which followed. It once had 14,000 members but by the time of the 65th anniversary in 2009 there were only 3,000 members still alive.
At the time of this year’s D-Day commemoration the number of survivors was below 600, and only 80 made the trip to Bayeux, the largest British cemetery in Normandy. By then the decision had already been taken to close the NVA after next year’s 70th anniversary.

John Ainsworth, 92-year-old chairman of the Hull branch, said the programme for the next year will include a pilgrimage to the Netherlands in May, a parade in Whitehall in June and the dedication of a new memorial in September at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire.

The events will begin with this year’s Remembrance Sunday parade and service at Hull Cenotaph on Sunday 10 November and conclude with the disbandment of the NVA on November 21 2014.
John said: “The Hull branch started in 1983, I joined in 1984 and when we were up and running properly we had more than 100 members.

“There are eight veterans who attend our meetings regularly and another eight who are housebound or incapacitated in some way but we get about 30 people at our meetings because we have widows of veterans and we have other ex-servicemen who we regard as honorary members.

“Any money raised in the name of the NVA will help to see us through the next year and if there is money left after that we may pass it on to the Royal British Legion or the National Memorial Arboretum, where there is a club which works with schools to ensure the younger generation remembers what took place in 1944.”

Mike plans to attend the next meeting of the Hull branch of the NVA on Tuesday 5 November.
He said: “We attend the Remembrance Sunday parade and service at Hull Cenotaph every year and this year we will follow it with our fund-raising afternoon. Hopefully people will support the Veterans as the NVA enters its final year – by coming to our event, by donating prizes and also by attending the service.”

Debbi Crittenden, Wilfred Black’s youngest daughter, said her father chose the Army over the coal mines in the era of the Bevin Boys. He signed up for six months but stayed for six years, seeing active service in some of the Second World War’s most famous conflicts.

As a member of the 5th Royal Horse Artillery in 1940 he was among more than 300,000 troops evacuated from Dunkirk. Two years later, with his regiment part of the 7th Armoured Division – General Bernard Montgomery’s legendary “Desert Rats” – he served with the Eighth Army in North Africa.

In June 1944 Wilfred fought in the Normandy Landings which led to the formation of the NVA. He ended the Second World War as a member of the Allied Forces guarding Berlin after the Germans surrendered. He was demobbed in 1946 and worked in the street cleaning department of Hull City Council until retiring in the 1980s.
Wilfred’s brothers also fought for their country – Tom in the RAF and Bob in the Royal Navy. He has a grandson serving currently.

Debbie said: “When Dad talks about his experienced in the war he mentions four days and three nights of solid, non-stop firing. He said you could see death in the air – you could smell it.”