'Was unprepared for impact it would have on me' Sophie Reaper opens up on her Normandy reporting for D-Day

I took a moment to walk between some of the graves; reading each name, age and date of death in turn.

It seems impossible that there are 4,144 of them; each representing a man who gave his life on the beaches of Normandy, 80 years ago.

Over the past few days, my team and I have been on the ground in Normandy – visiting some of the five beaches that were stormed on D-Day, speaking to people who had travelled to France to pay their respects, hearing the stories of veterans and families who lost loved ones.

It’s been incredible to see the enormous outpouring of respect and admiration for both our fallen troops, and our remaining survivors.

That has, of course, been made all the more poignant by the fact that this will likely be the last big anniversary of D-Day we mark alongside veterans who were there on the day, given they are all now in their late 90s, or even into their 100s.

Going into this week, we knew there would be opportunities to speak to some of those veterans, as a handful were travelling over from the UK to be in Normandy for the anniversary.

One veteran I was particularly keen to speak to was 100-year-old Bernard Morgan – and whilst at Bayeux Cemetery, I got my chance.

He and I have known each other for a few years now, although I hadn’t seen him since we met in November of last year.

I did worry that he wouldn’t remember me, but those worries were unfounded.

He kissed my hand – as he always has – and then said something to me that I will never forget. He said: “I always look out for you on the TV – I look for my girl with the long hair.”

That may seem simple or inconsequential to some. But to me, it meant the world.

Bernard is one of the most incredible men I have ever met – he was the youngest RAF Sergeant to land on the beaches on D-Day, at the age of just 20.

He also worked as a codebreaker, receiving a telex confirming the end of the War two days before anyone else knew about it.

I asked him this week what he remembers most about the morning of D-Day, and he told me the thing he thinks about most was “seeing all the dead bodies on the beach.”

He recalled his comrades jumping into the water, but because of the weight of their equipment, they ultimately drowned.

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Speaking to veterans always makes me incredibly emotional, but there was something about the magnitude of it being the 80th anniversary, combined with the sheer volume of graves surrounding us at Bayeux War Cemetery, that made my interview with Bernard all the more moving.

And all the more special.

It truly is the greatest honour to be able to tell our veteran’s stories, and to be Bernard’s “girl with the long hair.”