Wiltshire war veterans are close to raising the £20,000 needed to ensure they can return to Normandy on the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings after the Government refused to fund the trip.

In February the Wiltshire Times reported how the Government had refused to fund the trip this June as they were only looking to finance the 100th anniversary.

This left veterans from the Wiltshire branch of the Normandy Veterans Assoc-iation with no choice but to stand outside supermarkets with collection tins so they can pay their respects to comrades for the last time.

The branch needed to raise £20,000 to take 45 members on a six-day trip to France, during which the veterans will take part in a number of marches and parades.

On Saturday, the veterans were at Morrisons in Cepen Park North, Chippenham, and managed to raise more than £1,600 from shoppers’ donations.

Bob Conway, 83, of Boundary Walk, Trowbridge, and served with the Royal Army Service Corps in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany during the Second World War and was awarded campaign medals for his service.

He is the chairman of the Wiltshire branch of the NVA.

He said: “We’ve had a marvellous response since this was reported in the paper.

“People have been very generous putting fivers in the tin and we had one guy from Hastings who sent us £65.

“We have to pay the rest of the balance off soon and I think we’ll have enough to get everyone there.

“The next big celebration will be the 100th anniversary of the landings but none of us will be here for that.

“This will be the last year for our group.

“It will be very emotional and I’ve said it before – if you don’t have a tear in your eye when you’re there, you must be a very hard individual.”

West Wiltshire Military Vehicle Trust also donated £250 to the Wiltshire veterans at Whitehall Gardens in Lacock on Saturday.

Mr Conway and his wife Gwen, 80, were taken to the cheque presentation in a 1944 dodge weapons carrier, which has a top speed of 50mph and was used by the American and British army during the Second World War.

The Wiltshire branch of the NVA will next hold a collection at Sainsbury’s in Bath Road, Chippenham, next Saturday, April 18.