A 101-year-old veteran of the D-Day landings, who was recently awarded the British Empire Medal, has delivered a stark assessment of modern Britain, labelling it "disappointing" and warning the nation risks repeating the catastrophic mistakes made before the Second World War.
A Veteran's Honour and His Haunting Warning
Mervyn Kersh, from Cockfosters in north London, described receiving the British Empire Medal for his school talks on Holocaust remembrance and his wartime service as a "wonderful thing". He likened the significance of the honour to France's Legion d'honneur, but stressed the profound importance of being recognised by his own country.
However, his pride is tempered by profound concern. Speaking to the Press Association, Mr Kersh stated that his efforts to educate young people about the Holocaust "do not always work", pointing directly to the alarming rise of antisemitism across the UK. "What's disappointing is the antisemitism that I see everywhere, hear everywhere, or read," the centenarian veteran said.
From Normandy to Belsen: A Life of Service
Mr Kersh's perspective is forged in the furnace of history. He landed in Normandy in June 1944, just three days after D-Day began, serving as a 19-year-old technical clerk with the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, organising vital vehicle support for the Allied advance.
His service later placed him near the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp when it was liberated by British troops in April 1945, an experience that undoubtedly fuels his passionate educational mission today. He tells schoolchildren how the global conflict began, emphasising, "There'd be no need for a war now, we've got the wrong attitude."
Echoes of the 1930s and a Call for Strength
The veteran draws direct and troubling comparisons between the current geopolitical climate and the period preceding the Second World War. He "absolutely" sees parallels, citing Russia's threats against the West. Mr Kersh was scathing in his critique of contemporary Western leadership, comparing it to the failed appeasement policies of Neville Chamberlain in the 1930s.
"They think they've just got to hope and make speeches," he remarked. His solution is a clarion call for a fundamental shift in national priorities. "The top budget should be defence, there's nothing there for anything else. That's all there is," he asserted.
"Defence must come first, second, third, fourth and fifth, because only if you're strong, you won't be attacked," Mr Kersh argued. He clarified that the UK needs a more assertive leader—not to start a war, but to project strength. "We've got to defend, that's the first concern," the D-Day veteran concluded, leaving a powerful warning from a generation that understands the true cost of weakness.
