D-Day veteran 'didn't think about history'

Frank Doran enlisted into the army when he was 18

A 100-year-old D-Day veteran has said he was not fearful for his life, as he looked back on events in 1944.

Frank Doran, from Worcester, enlisted into the army when he was 18 and two years later fought in France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

He went on to be the first headteacher of Blessed Edward Oldcorne College in 1963 and stayed in the position for 22 years.

Reflecting on the turning point in World War Two, Mr Doran said: "I didn't think any great thoughts about history, nothing like that at all."

The D-Day landings, which took place on 6 June 1944, marked the start of the campaign to free north-west Europe from the Nazis.

Asked if he was ever fearful for his own life, the former head teacher said: "No... I think most people just took it all in their stride."

Mr Doran fought in France, Belgium and the Netherlands

Mr Doran said: "When I first arrived, they'd advanced and so when we landed, we were stationed immediately a little bit to the south of Bayeux.

"The combat troops had been there for three or four weeks.

"They'd had a very rough time."

He added: "You could hear the frontline wasn't so far away, so you could hear the fighting, the guns going off and reports coming in from the frontline.

"Somebody would come and say 'my friend was shot last night'. But that was it. Otherwise we were just kind of waiting for the bigger push."

Mr Doran was awarded the 1939-45 Star, France and Germany Star, Defence Medal and War Medal 1939-45

Troops from the UK, the US, Canada and France attacked German forces on the coast of northern France on 6 June.

D-Day was the largest military naval, air and land operation ever attempted.

It involved the simultaneous landing of tens of thousands of troops on five separate beaches in Normandy.

The veteran said: "We [were] just doing what we were ordered to do and we got on with it."