Ahead of D-Day 75, the internationally recognised commemorations set to take place in Portsmouth on 5 June, Stephen Morgan MP has attended a commemorative train naming hosted by South Western Rail.
The Portsmouth MP caught up with the train at Waterloo station and waved off travellers in full World War Two attire as part of the tributes to those brave veterans who set sail from Portsmouth’s shores 75 years ago.
World War Two Navy veteran, Artificer Jimmy Ockendon renamed the train originally titled 444040,”The D-Day Story”. The train will continue to feature the message paying tribute to our brave veterans whilst ferrying passengers across from Waterloo to Portsmouth.
Stephen Morgan, Portsmouth South MP said:
“I am very grateful to the team at South Western Railway for naming one of their trains The D-Day Story Portsmouth, to both mark the important 75th commemoration, but also to recognise the fantastic city attraction in Southsea.
This is a fitting tribute to the contribution our great city made to secure Europe’s freedom, to the bravery of the men and women who made sacrifices and to today’s Portsmouth as a place for peace, remembrance and reconciliation.
It was a pleasure to wave farewell 1940s style to the train from London Waterloo as it headed to Portsmouth Harbour in this important week for the city for the official naming at one of our local stations”.
Actors from the Groundlings Theatre in Portsea met the city MP at London Waterloo station ahead of a busy day in Parliament for the Portsmouth MP. Actors were in period costume to represent those soldiers who travelled from Waterloo to Portsmouth to leave for D-Day.
Officially naming the train was 97-year-old Royal Navy veteran Jimmy Ockendon, President of Royal British Legion Portsmouth South branch.
Photo credit: Digby Oldridge, Photographer
