The number of those who can actually remember the invasion of Normandy is dwindling every day.

But the memory of D-Day, and the sacrifice of those who gave their lives or were wounded, to free Europe from tyranny is being kept alive in Swindon, and passed on to younger generations.

The Royal British legion pop-in shop in Regent Street in Swindon will feature an exhibition of photos and artefacts relating to Operation Overlord, the codename for the invasion.

And it will feature work by youngsters from Ferndale Community Primary School.

Isobel Thompson, the manager of the pop-in is putting together the exhibition.

She said: "Most of the pictures and artefacts have been supplied by the local historian Mark Sutton. "He’s brought in things like a photograph of the landing beach taken by a Swindon man on one of the boats."

The exhibition will be opened on Thursday, the 75th anniversary of the landings and will run for the summer.

“We also have work by Year 5 pupils from Ferndale Primary School," said Isobel.

“They came up with the idea of footprints in the sand and they’ve got impressions of some of the younger children’s feet in sand.

"And they all wrote poems based on the idea of going to the beach now, and thinking what it was like for the soldiers on the beaches on D-Day.”

One poem by a nine-year-old pupil compares and contrast the sights, sound and smells of a fun day at the beach with the sights and sounds and smells the terrified soldiers must have experienced. Isobel said: “I think that’s brilliant.

“Obviously it’s important to remember D-Day and those who died in the world wars. It’s particularly good that young children are still remembering it.

“The men in the landing boats weren’t much older than these Ferndale pupils. They were 18, 19, 20, very many of them and for a lot it would have been their first action. Not all of them, but quite a number.

“We did a big exhibition for the centenary of Armistice Day last year. This is a follow on - we’ve always had a good response."

The Legion’s pop-in centre is at 52-54 Regent Street and is open between 10am and 4pm, Monday to Friday.