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It was the second time Jock Hutton has parachuted into Normandy. This time nobody was shooting at him.

The moment the 89-year-old veteran landed yesterday he proudly donned the red beret which marks him out as among the bravest of the brave, a former member of the Parachute Regiment.

Dusting himself off, he then marched across the field to shake hands with the future King.

It was a stark contrast to the moment, 70 years ago, when Jock - the a Private - dropped into France to begin the battle to free the country from the Nazis.

Aged just 19, he was one of the first to land on D-Day and immediately helped to capture Ranville - the first French village to be liberated at 2.30am on June 6, 1944.

Today, he commemorated the anniversary of the iconic landings with the same daring spirit by reliving his parachute jump into exactly the same drop zone.

Strapped to a member of the Red Devils parachute display team, Jock jumped from 5,000ft out of a Cessna and, guided by a plume of scarlet smoke, landed just a few feet from Prince Charles.

But Jock, who is originally from Stirling but now lives in Larkfield near Ashford, Kent, laughed off the prospect of any pre-jump nerves after inviting the crowds to enjoy a “wee dram” of whisky with him to celebrate his landing.

“At my age life tends to get a little bit boring, so you’ve got to grab any chance of excitement you can” Jock said.

(Image: Getty)

When asked what it was like to parachute into enemy territory in the largest amphibious invasion ever, and a make-or-break military operation which paved the way for the Allies to win World War II, he scoffed: "Terrified?” During my life I have never been terrified. I’m just a vicious wee Scotsman.”

And as Jock spotted an old comrade, 89-year-old Bert Marsh, who he got to know through commemoration events in the Ardennes, where they both fought in the winter of 1944/45, he hollered: “Bertie you old beast, I thought you were deed!”

Their jokey encounter is a poignant reminder that those who fought in the D-Day liberation are rapidly dwindling in number. Just 600 Brits remain, and for many of those who faithfully come back each year, this will be their last return to French soil.

As the two men embraced, the skies exploded with a display of WWII parachutes. Like dark green dominoes falling from the sky, soldiers tumbled one by one out of Hercules transporter aircraft and floated to the ground.

It was an awe-inspiring image of exactly what it would have looked like from the beaches and fields of France all those years ago.

Recalling that night, when, in the light of the full moon, he was flown close enough to the ground so he and comrades only jumped from 500ft, Jock said: “It was dark, obviously, raining slightly and the moon was bursting out of the clouds, so I had quite a cushy jump.

“My memories are only of getting to our target. We trained for months and months and months and we wanted to liberate Ranville.”

(Image: Getty)

Jock joined the Black Watch in 1939 before transferring to 13 Battallion, The Parachute Regiment.

One of the last survivors of his regiment’s jump on D-Day, he said: “We were jammed in and really it was a bloody pleasure to get out of the aircraft after the discomfort and so on. We all sort of tumbled out one after the other.

“Our commanding officer had a little hunting trumpet which he used to call us together. It was a wee bit difficult in the dark, moving around, trying to speak quietly, and meantime there’s machine guns blasting.

“The 13th Bn was a highly jacked up unit. We were extremely fit. We were all young and we were full of fight.”

Jock’s is just one of many astonishing stories of the bravery shown by the men who risked their lives for our freedom.

Many did not make it - from the two men who died in the first operation of the landings, the capture of Pegasus Bridge, to the thousands more who lost their lives in the weeks and months that followed until the war was finally won.

They shared their stories yesterday as they were joined by Prince Charles and Camilla, who spent the day honouring veterans at a series of events in Normandy.

The royals’ first stop was Pegasus Bridge, where Prince Charles, who is Colonel-in-Chief of the parachute regiment, laid a wreath at the exact spot where one of the six gliders landed at 16 minutes past midnight on June 6, 1944.

None of the men who took part in the capture of the bridge - codename Operation Deadstick - are alive today, but the prince spoke with men who flew into nearby Ranville or took part in other operations.

(Image: Getty)

He met Joseph Patient, who will be 97 on Monday, and was in the M Squadron of the Glider Pilot Regiment on June 6. Before that he received a Distinguished Flying Cross for operations over Germany.

Joseph said: “On D-Day I was at 30,000 ft. I have several of my squadron who are buried here. It’s very emotional. This may be the last time but we’ll be coming every year until we pass away.”

Many tears were shed at events across France yesterday and the memories were clearly emotional for all who remembered the historic day

Arlette Gondree who runs the Cafe Gondree next to Pegasus Bridge was just four when the bridge was captured by the Allies and has since formed strong bonds with many of the soldiers who return every year.

Against royal protocol she stood between Prince Charles and Mayor Benouville, Salvatore Bellomo, and she said: “I have known them for all those years, when they were young wearing their berets and their medals, driving themselves and now they rely on the young to follow up the tradition.

“This anniversary is to commemorate them but also to keep the memories alive.”

Later, Charles and Camilla had lunch with 75 veterans of the 6th Airborne Division in Ranville where they heard their stories and toasted them with a glass of fizz.

Among them was John Ryan, 90, one of only 15 men from the 116 in A company of the 13th Parachute Regiment to survive World War II.

Private Ryan, from Feltwell in Norfolk, said: “There were 22 of us who jumped at 12.15am into the fields near Ranville.

"There was German machine gunfire coming from the next field so I just had to get out of the apple orchard I’d landed in - I managed to find a fox tunnel through the hedge.”

(Image: Getty)

Elsewhere, yesterday nearly 100 veterans gathered for a Royal Artillery parade at Hermanville-sur-Mer, behind Sword Beach. The parade by serving members of the regiment was followed by a poignant memorial service for those who died.

Locals applauded the veterans as they walked through the packed main square, which contains a monument in honour of the gunners who stormed the beach. A plaque reads: “To the Allied pioneers who put their feet on this beach at 23:00 on June 5, 1944.”

Retired Brigadier David Baines paid a moving tribute to the men troops who lost their lives in the Normandy campaign.

He said: “We must remember as we look at these beautiful cemeteries across the countryside that at the time of these young men’s deaths - which many of us witnessed - that it was far from peaceful. It was violent.”

Afterwards wreaths were placed at the foot of the monument to honour the D-Day dead. A military band played God Save the Queen and the French national anthem, a stirring reminder of the fight for freedom which unites people on both sides of the Channel.

Hermanville has special resonance for the Royal Artillery.

Nazi troops were hunkered down in a concrete bunker, dug into a position from which snipers could easily pick out the advancing British soldiers. Many are buried in the now peaceful seaside town.

In the country’s capital, the Queen began her three-day visit to France by laying a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier beneath the Arc de Triomphe, alongside President Francois Hollande.

Mr Hollande had formally greeted the monarch and Duke of Edinburgh moments before when they arrived at the landmark after travelling to the capital by train.

On Friday she will be one of 17 world leaders including President Obama and Vladimir Putin who will descend on Normandy for a service at Sword Beach. Prince William and wife Kate will also fly in to meet veterans at nearby Arromanches.

Pompey pride

Thousands of people gave a heroes’ welcome to 80 D-Day veterans who gathered in Portsmouth for the main UK D-Day ceremony.

And more than 200 military personnel took part in a parade to Southsea Common, where prayers were said for the heroes who never made it home.

The service was followed by an amphibious landing display by the Royal Marines on Southsea Beach. At 6pm the crowds watched a flotilla sail past the harbour, making its way across the Channel towards Normandy.

For many it was an emotional return to the Royal Navy base where they had set sail for Sword beach in Normandy.

Arthur Sherlock, 88, of Leigh Park, Hants, said: “It makes me cry sometimes. We saw lads shot before they got to the beach. Every one of them gave their lives for the people here today.”

Antony Stott, 93, said: “It’s been interesting – much less noisy today than it was back then.”

D-Day anniversary: Friday's key events in France

12:30am : 70 parachutists will be dropped over the remnants of the Arromanches artificial harbor (depending on the weather conditions).

6am : Great gathering on Omaha Beach to commemorate the sacrifices of the soldiers on D-Day.

11am : The Queen, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall attend the Service of Rememberance at the Commonwealth war Graves Cemetery at Bayeux and meet veterans.

11:15am : Parade of the British cadets and laying of flowers on English tombs with the children of Bénouville to commemorate Pegasus Bridge.

2.15pm : Sword Beach international event for several thousand veterans from Britain, US, Canada and Australia with heads of state including The Queen, President Obama and Vladimir Putin.

5.30pm : Canadian ceremony of rememberance at Juno Beach.

6pm : Commemoration of the Gold Beach landings at Arromanches honoring the veterans, with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

8.30pm : The Queen attends the state banquet at the Elysee Palace.