GEOFF Spires was barely 18 when he was called up and finds it hard to believe 60 years have passed since then.

He joined the 11th Hussars, part of the 7th Armoured Division. After a few weeks training, he was on his way to Tilbury to be shipped to France, writes Anne Tugwell.

"There was a tremendous amount to learn. We had to do Morse code and never used it once when we got there," said Mr Spires, of Church Street, Alcester.

The regiment was destined for Berlin, where they were to spend the next nine years as part of the British Army of the Rhine.

But for the young soldiers, first stop was Arromanche, where they landed on Gold beach on June 9 - D-Day + 3.

"I will confess I was a very, very frightened young man. There were five squadrons and I was part of White troop.

"It is easy to say you get used to it but it doesn't matter how much training you get, nothing prepares you for what you see when you get there.

"We were a reconnaissance regiment and had to seek out the enemy and do whatever was necessary.

"Sometimes we had to fight on foot, or do necessary reconnaisance on foot and lift mines, which I hated.

"We were in Caen for five or six weeks and saw two thirds of the city flattened. Then we went and did our job across France, Holland and Belgium and then on to Berlin.

"I saw a lot of friends die. I'm just lucky I'm still here. There were a lot of experiences I would rather not think about. We just did what we had to do. It was just one of those things."

Mr Spires has been back to Normandy several times and is planning to join this year's commemorations from June 3-8, when he will take a wreath from the Alcester branch of the Royal British Legion.