Wigan NHS worker makes dream come true for Second World War veteran hoping to return to France

James Belcher was just 19 when he started his service on HMS Glenroy.

He was among the crew on the landing assault craft that helped soldiers onto the beaches in northern France on June 6, 1944 for the largest seaborne invasion in history.

Afterwards, he went to Portsmouth on a liberty boat and travelled home to Wigan, before joining HMS Prince Albert and working with French Commandos landing in occupied France.

On his return to England in 1945, Mr Belcher worked gathering information and equipment in Keele, boarded a ship carrying Australian soldiers home from the war and then did border defence work in Hong Kong, before being demobbed in September 1946.

Now 98 years old, his experiences during the Second World War are something Mr Belcher has never forgotten.

And it sparked a conversation between him and Joanne Lee, a healthcare assistant and one of 50 armed forces champions at Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WWL), when he was admitted to the same day emergency care unit at Wigan Infirmary.

She said: “Being an armed forces champion means that if a serviceperson or veteran comes into WWL, I will visit them and ask how I can help.

"Some veterans suffer from particular issues or may find being in hospital difficult, so asking them how I can be of service is an important part of the role, particularly if they are suffering with mental health issues.”

Mr Belcher’s daughter Lynn Bond revealed he was a veteran who served during the Second World War and was part of the D-Day landings.

Joanne went to visit Mr Blecher on her day off work and found that, after a short stay in hospital, he was waiting for his daughter to take him home.

They spoke about his wartime experiences again and it was this conversation that inspired Joanne.

She said: “When I said I recalled he was a D-Day veteran, he beamed at me and said he couldn’t believe I had remembered, but how often do you meet someone involved in such a momentous part of our history? I was in awe and admiration and sat with Mr Belcher a while, listening to his stories.”

Mr Belcher, who carries a Royal Marines lifetime membership card, regaled Joanne with stories of his time in the service.

But sadly he disclosed he could no longer find the medals he was given to recognise his efforts serving his country.

He also said his final wish was to visit Normandy next June – on the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings – to pay respect to his fallen comrades.

Joanne, whose husband is also a veteran, contacted the Armed Forces Community HQ CIC, based at Molyneux House in Wigan, to investigate how they could locate Mr Belcher’s medals.

They later contacted the Royal Marines to ask about helping him make the trip to Normandy to mark the milestone.

Joanne said: “When they came back to say they would be honoured to take Mr Belcher as part of their own anniversary expedition, I cried. I couldn’t believe we were going to make this happen for him.”

Joanne visited Mr Belcher three days before his 98th birthday, along with Charlie Neve, a retired navy commander and director of the Armed Forces Community HQ.

She said: “Mr Belcher met us at the door with the biggest smile on his face and looking so well.

"We told him we were going to find his medals, which, after a visit to the Armed Forces Hub with Charlie, was confirmed that he had been awarded the 1939-1945 WWll Star Medal, France and Germany Star, Pacific Star and Italy Star.”]

Joanne presented Mr Belcher with a birthday card from all the armed forces champions at the hospital trust, before sharing the news that he would be going on a trip to Normandy.

She said: “He just smiled and kept saying thank you and then we left him to ring his family and tell them the news.

"It was an honour to meet Mr Belcher and I will look forward to hearing all about his trip to Normandy.”

Leanne Cobham, the hospital’s armed forces healthcare lead, said: “Joanne is a shining example of why our armed forces champions are so important to the trust. Our armed forces community often have lots of needs that are not always health related and Joanne has shown why we need to be approaching our veterans with a view to providing holistic care.

“Without Joanne, Mr Belcher would unlikely to have been able to achieve his final wish to visit Normandy and give one last goodbye to his comrades who never returned home, or to regain his medals that are so very important to him – a priority recognised by Joanne despite Mr Belcher’s ill health at the time.”

WWL staff are keen to support members of the services community and the trust held its own celebrations in June to mark Armed Forces Week.

A series of events took place, including the launch of the trust’s new carers passport and policy, which allows veterans to have a carer or loved one stay with them while receiving treatment.

People who need support can contact the Armed Forces Community HQ on 01924 821293 or email [email protected].