He and Brenda worked well together behind the bar, and as the girls from the factories poured in after their early shifts, and the men from the Home Guard took up their usual places by the back window, he forced a smile, pulled pints and kept up his usual banter to disguise his broken heart.

He was glad of a bit of a rest when the one o’clock news came on, so he perched on a stool at the end of the bar by the till, and filled his pipe as Frederick Allen began to broadcast.

‘D-Day has come,’ said Frederick. ‘Allied troops were landed under strong naval and air cover on the coast of Northern France early this morning. The Prime Minister rose in the House of Commons just after midday to give the latest news of the situation.’

The distinctive gravelled voice of Churchill filled the bar. ‘During the night and early hours of this morning, the first of a series of landings in force on the European Continent has taken place. The assault fell upon the coast of France.

‘An immense armada of upwards of four thousand ships, together with several thousand smaller craft crossed the Channel. Massed airborne landings have been successfully effected behind the enemy’s lines, and landings are proceeding at various points at the present time.

‘The fire of the shore batteries has been largely quelled. The obstacles which were constructed in the sea have not proved so difficult as was apprehended. The Anglo-American Allies are sustained by about eleven thousand first-line aircraft which can be drawn upon as may be needed for the purposes of the battle.

‘There are already hopes that actual tactical surprise has been obtained. Of course, I cannot commit myself to any particular details as reports are coming in in rapid succession. So far, the commanders engaged report that everything is proceeding according to plan – and what a plan. This vast operation is undoubtedly the most complicated and difficult that has ever occurred. It involves tides, winds, waves and visibility both from the air and sea standpoints, and the combined employment of land, air and sea forces in the highest degree of intimacy and in conditions which could not and cannot be fully known.

‘We hope to furnish the enemy with a succession of surprises during the course of the fighting. The battle will grow constantly in scale and intensity for many weeks to come. I shall not attempt to speculate upon its course, but this I may say, that complete unity prevails throughout the Allied armies. There is brotherhood in arms between us and our friends of the United States. There is complete confidence in the Supreme Commander, General Eisenhower, and General Montgomery. The ardour and spirit of the troops, as I saw for myself as they were embarking in the last few days, was splendid to witness.’