Today marks the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the largest amphibious invasion in the history of warfare. On 6 June 1944, more than 150,000 Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy, France, marking the start of Operation Overlord. This monumental event was the beginning of the end for Nazi-occupied Europe. The invasion involved over 5,000 ships and landing craft, making it the largest naval, air, and land operation ever.

Shepton Mallet proudly remembers its local heroes, Reg Hiscox and Gordon Pratten, who played significant roles during D-Day.

Reg Hiscox, at 3:30 pm on June 5, 1944, left Portsmouth harbour with his Royal Navy colleagues, steering their course towards northern France. At midnight, a German Junkers 88 bomber narrowly missed their craft with a torpedo. By 6:30 am the next morning, Reg, a coxswain of a Landing Craft Tank (L.C.T.), guided his vessel onto Sword Beach, delivering six Sherman tanks under heavy enemy fire. His swift actions ensured that two Sherman flail tanks were the first to land, clearing mines for the soldiers advancing behind them.

Reg Hiscox (File photo)

After delivering the tanks, Reg's craft stayed offshore until 2 pm, ready to assist if needed before returning to Portsmouth to reload. Over the following weeks, he made five more trips to Normandy. On the fifth trip, his ship struck a sea mine and was disabled but was safely towed to Arromanches. For his bravery, Reg was awarded the Légion d'honneur by the French Government in 2016. He passed away in 2019, leaving a legacy of courage and dedication.

Gordon Pratten was on Juno Beach at Courseulles-sur-Mer by 8:30 am, performing his duties as a Royal Engineer. His job was to drive a bulldozer, pushing landing craft back out to sea to collect more tanks and vehicles. Despite discovering his bulldozer wasn't waterproof, Gordon was ordered to pull a lorry out of a water-filled hole caused by a mine explosion. Despite the risks, he complied, resulting in both the lorry and bulldozer becoming submerged. Gordon survived D-Day and the subsequent war, turning 24 while still in France. He returned to Shepton Mallet after the war and lived there until his passing in 2018 at the age of 93.

These stories of Reg Hiscox and Gordon Pratten are a testament to the bravery and sacrifice of those who served during D-Day, an operation that required meticulous planning and unprecedented cooperation between international forces. The efforts of these men and their comrades helped secure a foothold in Normandy, paving the way for the liberation of much of north-west Europe.

As Shepton Mallet reflects on this significant anniversary, the town honours the memory of these local heroes whose actions on that fateful day contributed significantly to the Allied victory in World War II. Their legacy serves as a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by so many for the freedom we enjoy today.