Sapper Sydney Bernstein, of the Armoured Engineers 81st Assault Squadron, landed on Gold Beach on D-day, aged 27. He was in the first wave to hit the beach with Churchill tanks. A total of 21 tanks landed in two waves, while only one tank was lost when it hit a mine.

After the battle of the Normandy Beaches, he moved forward into Belgium and Holland, where he was detained due to a terrible winter. By 6 February 1945, he was able to move on into northern Germany where he spent a further year in the ccupation army. He eventually returned home to England on 10 May 1946.