Gold Beach, King Sector (La Rivière) where the 6th Green Howards came ashore at 07:32.

As dawn broke over the English Channel on June 6, 1944, the stillness of the early morning was shattered by the thunderous roar of aircraft engines and the distant rumble of naval bombardment. It was D-Day, a day that would forever alter the course of history, and at Gold Beach, specifically the King Sector known as La Rivière, the 6th Battalion of the Green Howards prepared to embark on their perilous mission. With the clock striking 07:32, they would become part of a monumental effort to breach Hitler's Atlantic Wall and liberate Europe from the grip of tyranny.

As the landing craft approached the shore, the men of the 6th Green Howards were met with a scene of chaos and uncertainty. The beach was a tableau of destruction, with the remnants of the naval bombardment still smouldering, and German machine-gun fire tearing through the air like a swarm of angry hornets. Yet, these soldiers, resolute and steeled by their training, pressed on. The moment they disembarked, they plunged into the icy waters of the Channel, their hearts racing with both fear and determination. Among them was Private John "Jack" Thompson, a young soldier from Yorkshire, who had dreamed of this day since enlisting.