From the D-Day beaches to the heart of Germany

The sprightly 87-year-old wears his beret and blazer with pride and his tales of service during World War II remain amazingly vivid.

Ricky was among the many brave Allied troops who liberated Sicily, Italy and later Normandy during the war.

What makes Ricky's story so amazing is that he not only fought against the enemy with courage and strength - he also opened up his heart to German families

in the aftermath of the conflict.

In several weeks time, Ricky returns to Germany to meet one of the many war children who have remembered the

kindness of a very special British soldier.

Spa reporter Sarah Chambers met Ricky during the 59th D-Day anniversary week and here is his story.

IN 1939 Alexander 'Ricky' Recardo heard a plea on the radio for motorcyclists to join the fight against Hitler.

The 23-year-old volunteered his services and left his family in Birmingham to join the 51st Highland Division Royal Signals. He started out as the unit's one and only Englishman. "The other lads thought I was mad. They had been called up while I had volunteered and that always made you a bit different," the Meadow Piece resident said.

Top secret

As a dispatch rider, Ricky travelled the Scottish countryside delivering top secret letters and documents. In a bid to confuse an enemy invasion, maps, sign posts and lighting were banned - making these journeys difficult and lengthy. Additionally, Ricky underwent tough training to prepare for duty in Norway. But in 1942 the young rider was sent to the warmer climes of North Africa.

Before heading off overseas, Ricky married his sweetheart Dot but it would be two years before the pair were reunited.

The infantry was thrown straight into bloody desert battles. And like thousands of Churchill's boys, Ricky followed the treacherous trail from El Alamein to Algiers under the command of Field Marshall General Montgomery.

"We were entering battle, staring death in the eye and our division had pipers in kilts leading us in. The Germans thought it was madness but the Scots certainly put the wind up them."

The unit was then sent to the invasion of Sicily and later reached mainland Italy. Here the soldiers swapped badges with another unit, introduced a Lord Monty look-a-like and returned to England for a top secret mission. Little did the men realise they were destined for the beaches of France and about to enter wartime history.

Training for D-Day began in Buckinghamshire and on June 3, 1944, a boat took the Highland division from Tilbury to Portsmouth, where thousands of ships, packed with Brits, Canadians and Americans, awaited orders. Two days later they began to cross the English Channel and arrived at Sword Beach on June 6 - D-Day.

The young Ricky was in a waterproof Jeep and was second to leave the craft after it hit the shore. A vehicle in front had sunk into the murky water, so the boat moved closer to the beach to ensure it wouldn't sink.

With a pounding heart, Ricky rolled into the sea and drove forward onto the beach. Dodging shells, bullets and bodies, he kept telling himself 'just keep going, keep going Ricky'.

A military police officer ordered the Jeep to turn left along the sands, and after a tense 30-minute journey Ricky finally caught up with his unit. Out of 26 dispatch riders who landed, Ricky was one of two who survived the day.

The troops were ordered to carry on ahead and help the 6th Airborne Division defend a bridge. The infantry embarked on what became a journey of gains, losses and sometimes horror as they headed through France and ultimately into Nazi Germany.

On May 7, l945, the Nazis surrendered and the following day was declared VE day - Victory in Europe day.

Ricky was now on German soil and became a peacekeeper rather than a warrior. Warnings came from the top brass not to fraternise with German families but Ricky began to establish links within his temporary community. He was made a non-commissioned officer and his men took over a large house and street in Syke, north west Germany.

Native families had seen hard times during the war and, in a bid to help them rebuild their lives, Ricky, who was a skilled tailor, set up a small sewing shop where they could repair uniforms, stitch collars and create lapels for UK troops. This was a service soldiers were willing to pay for.

The Highland Division comrades wore kilts and played bagpipes to amuse the local children. Ricky in particular became a favourite and he encouraged soldiers to give children their chocolate rations and often traded his Army supply of cigarettes, which he chose not to smoke, for sweets.

At Christmas, Ricky's wife Dot, sent ribbons for festive gifts and Ricky helped the German children put on a panto, which ran for three nights. To add to the spirit, a tree was dug up from nearby woods and decorated with motorbike bulbs.

Ricky was even invited to spend Christmas Day with the native Bortle family. Their daughter Anne-Marie, then 12, was in awe of the kind man she called Jimmy (a common nickname among the Scottish regiments) and kept in touch with him for many years by post.

However, changes of address halted their communications for 50 years and it was not until 2002 that contact was re-established.

Ricky wrote to Anne-Marie, who is now 70, and sent the letter to a former address. Luckily, she lived two doors from a post office which intercepted the letter and redirected it to her.

A German newspaper picked up on the tale and put Ricky's efforts to bring happiness to wartime children in print. He is now planning a visit to see Anne-Marie, with his family in July.

"I can't believe after all these years I am going back. It will be very strange but I'm sure amongst the sadness of war memories, happy ones will be evoked too."

Ricky returned home to his much-loved wife Dot in 1946. Together, they had two sons and two daughters and now boast an army of grandchildren and great grandchildren.

In the late seventies, the couple moved to Droitwich Spa and Ricky again put his heart into community life. He is president of the Westlands Community Association, has been a bingo caller at many luncheon clubs, is an esteemed ballroom dancer and a staunch Royal British Legion supporter.

The veteran looks back on his life with deserved pride. He enjoys an active life, which now centres on the tender care of his beloved Dot, who has suffered illness.