"He said his efforts to speak about the Holocaust "do not always work", telling of his concerns about rising antisemitism in the UK. "What's disappointing is the antisemitism that I see everywhere, hear everywhere, or read," he said. Mr Kersh arrived in Normandy aged 19, three days after the start of the D-Day invasion in June 1944. He served as a technical clerk for the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, organising vehicle support."
"The veteran said he "absolutely" sees comparisons between now and the period just before World War Two, and that Russia was "threatening the west". He went on: "The top budget should be defence, there's nothing there for anything else. That's all there is. "Defence must come first, second, third, fourth and fifth, because only if you're strong, you won't be attacked.""
Mervyn Kersh, a 101-year-old D-Day veteran from Cockfosters, north London, received a British Empire Medal for Holocaust remembrance school talks and wartime service. He likened the honour to France's Legion d'honneur and valued recognition by his own country. Kersh described Britain as 'disappointing' and warned the nation risked repeating mistakes made before World War Two. He voiced concern about rising antisemitism seen, heard and read across the UK. Kersh recalled arriving in Normandy aged 19 and later being stationed near Bergen-Belsen at liberation. He argued defence must be prioritised and compared current leaders' responses to Neville Chamberlain's appeasement.
Read at www.bbc.com
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