For those with no personal memories of 1944, ‘D-Day’ conjures up a collection of images from films and newsreel, songs and anecdotes from elderly relatives. And behind them a bare historical fact: the dawn attack on the beaches of northern France by 156,000 Allied troops, which marked the beginning of the end of the Second World War in Europe. But for many of those who were actually there it was more than a critical turning point in the war – it was the most significant 24 hours of their lives. For these young men and women, now grown old, the events and experiences of 6 June 1944 are with them every day.