A WORCESTER D-Day hero was planning for the Normandy landings just days after his daughter's funeral.

Keith Williams has told the story of his remarkable father Frank, who served in the Royal Navy between 1926 to 1952, to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day today (Thursday, June 6).

Mr Williams served on HMS Scylla, a Dido class light cruiser which was chosen as the vessel to act as the flagship to oversee the landing on Sword beach and to provide gunfire on German held positions.

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Sword Beach was the code name given to one of the five main landing areas along the Normandy coast during the initial assault on D-Day.

Tragically, just three months before, Mr Williams returned from duty on the Russian convoy to news his daughter, Ann, was seriously ill.

He arrived home to Kingston Avenue, off Bilford road, just before the five year old died of scarlet fever, but just a few days after the funeral, Mr Williams was back on duty again to make preparations for D-Day.

Keith, of Raven Drive, St Peter's, told the Worcester News he has often wondered what his father's mental health had been like.

He added: "People back then knew what they had to do and just got on with it, he never talked about his time serving much.

"He served all throughout the war and saw quite a bit of action, but I think it affected him after he left the Navy, especially the Russian convoys, he used to say how cold they were.

"He was quite a quiet person, his attitude was what is the point of worrying?"

"You could say he was remarkable man but when you grow up with him you don't think of him like that, he was a very fair person and always looked after his family."

As a Petty Officer, his role in the navy was gunnery and he was in charge of a Bofors gun to protect the ship from possible air attack.

Keith's story is inextricably linked to the events immediately following D-Day.

At the end of June 1944, whilst patrolling off the coast of Normandy, Mr Williams' ship hit a mine and was severely damaged.

He survived but the ship was out of action and was towed back to Chatham for repairs.

Keith's mother travelled down to see Mr Williams- and nine months later, he was born.

Keith added: "If the ship hadn’t hit a mine then I would never have been born so the time around D-Day is always very special for me.

"I guess the lesson from dads experiences is that war is stupid, but unfortunately it happens."