Veteran names train to mark Portsmouth’s links to D-Day

A Second World War veteran has officially named a train in honour of Portsmouth’s links to the D-Day invasion.

Specialist mechanic Jimmy Ockendon, 97, attended the christening event with his wife Joyce at Portsmouth Harbour station to name the South Western Railway train The D-Day Story Portsmouth.

Mr Ockendon, from Portsmouth, whose father Sergeant James Ockendon was awarded the Belgian Croix de Guerre and the Victoria Cross for his role in the First World War, said: “I am very proud and my father would have been over the moon.”

Andy Mellors, managing director of South Western Railway, said: “So many of those who took part in the D-Day landings travelled from Waterloo down to Portsmouth.

“We have a very strong connection to the city of Portsmouth and this train naming serves as a permanent reminder of the sacrifice made by those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom.”