A MAN who was part of the D-Day bombardment force in 1944 has celebrated his 100th birthday in Salisbury.

Former Royal Navy officer Douglas Edward Parish, who retired as a commander, celebrated becoming a centenarian at his care home in the city on August 31.

Douglas can still remember the events of June 6, 1944 quite clearly.

He was just a 19-year-old Midshipman – a junior officer – in the light cruiser HMS Mauritius when the Allied invasion force hit the coast of Normandy.

The warship was already an old hand at amphibious landings, having been part of the covering force at Sicily (July 1943), Salerno (September 1943) and Anzio (January 1944).

The Italian landings were merely a prelude to the greatest amphibious invasion in history, when around 160,000 Allied troops – predominantly British, American and Canadian, and including airborne forces – landed on and around five beaches along the Normandy coast on D-Day, opening a new front in the war and initiating the advance that eventually liberated France and helped defeat Germany.

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The cruiser’s role during the maritime element of the landings – known as Operation Neptune – was to bombard targets at Sword Beach, and in the following days and weeks she prowled the French coast on the lookout for German warships.

Douglas said: “I recall looking out at over 6,900 ships of all kinds. They were so close you felt you could almost step out and walk across them.”

He remembers the ship taking out enemy gun positions on D-Day, and itself being attacked by German E-boats – fast attack craft which fired torpedoes which, luckily for Douglas and his shipmates, missed their target.

“I have often felt that I did not really engage in the landings having been below decks in the engine room,” he said.

“I had to do this as part of my training. I was kept abreast of situations outside via a Tannoy system.”

In 2015, following the 70th anniversary of the landings, Douglas and surviving D-Day veterans received the prestigious Legion d’Honneur from the French government as a sign of appreciation for their efforts to liberate the country.

Douglas added: “I am very honoured; I will never forget being there.”

He went on to serve in the Royal Navy until 1967, including a spell in the light Fleet aircraft carrier HMS Centaur in 1963-4.

Having left the Navy, Douglas trained as a college lecturer and moved to Salisbury, where he is a member of the local RNA branch.

His work saw him instructing soldiers how to mend aeroplanes in the Aircraft Engineering Training Wing at Middle Wallop.

As well as his activities with the RNA, Douglas was also a lay pastor at Porton Baptist Church for many years, and has also had a long association with the Salisbury Sea Cadet unit.

Originally from Portsmouth, Douglas now lives in a care home in Salisbury.

Jon Everett, Royal Naval Association (RNA) welfare and wellbeing co-ordinator, said: “The RNA is proud to look after its Second World War veterans.

“I helped organise Doug’s birthday and was delighted to organise some top brass from the Royal Navy to attend, along with a fly-past of a Navy Wings Harvard aircraft and a letter from the First Sea Lord.”

The RNA is reaching out to all Second World War Royal Naval veterans to offer support in any way they can.

Milly Luxford, RNA veteran co-ordinator, said: “We are particularly wanting to hear from Second World War veterans, or their carers, who would like to attend the Remembrance Parade in London in November.

“Commemoration and celebration are at the core of all we do, and we would be delighted to take these veterans to the Cenotaph with us this year.”

To get in contact, email ceo-ea@rnassoc.org