Seventy-five years ago this week - on June 26, 1944, D-Day plus 20 - William Houston of Maybole landed at Arromanches in Normandy, France and worked on repairs and maintenance of tanks, lorries and various other equipment.

He had been called up in 1942, aged 18, to the REME ( Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers) and served until 1946 with a recall for a short period for the time of the Suez Crisis in 1956 when he was stationed near Stirling.

In 1944, before D-Day, he was stationed near Hampden House, a large estate near Eastbourne on the south coast of Hampshire.

Unlike D-Day, the channel crossing on June 26 was calm and clear and William was fortunate that he was well behind the front line.

He recalled that as they advanced through the Normandy countryside the hedges were tall and gave good shelter for the soldiers to camp and rest overnight.

Near the Falaise Gap, as the Germans retreated, a couple of enemy machine guns which had been overlooked fired on his party. Although they took cover, he suffered a hand injury due to a ricochet bullet. However, after two weeks it was back to work as usual.

While in the town of Celle near Belsen concentration camp some of his officers and NCOs visited the camp. He told us the reports they brought back were even more horrific than have since been reported. Many of the soldiers involved in the burial of victims had life-changing experiences whilst there.

William, now 95, served right across Europe through France, Belgium, Holland and Germany finishing near Hamburg.

Earlier this month the local branch of the Royal British Legion Scotland held a service at the Greenside in Maybole to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day and then visited William and his family.

Colonel John Dalrymple Hamilton, President of the local branch and Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Ayrshire and Arran, presented William with a D-Day 75th anniversary lapel badge and a Thank You coin.

The coin is engraved on one side with the Thank You logo featuring the Scottish Poppy in bold Red and on the other side it features the famous words of Laurence Binyon - “At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them” - surrounding the proud and distinguished badge of the Royal British Legion Scotland and “We said Thank You.”