D-Day 80: Petersfield engineer honoured to make commemoration beacon in honour of grandfather

Jack Chapman, 27, was part of the team which put together the Principal Beacon which will be lit at HMNB Portsmouth this evening (June 6). Bright signals are being displayed across the country to commemorate those involved in the Normandy Landings in 1944. Jack, a Maritime Fabricator, constructed the beacon alongside other BAE Systems engineers.

Hi grandfather, Augustus, took part in the naval invasion aged 21 and landed on Juno beach. Beacons on HMS X20 and X23 were used to guide vessels through the waters and to their intended targets.

Jack said Augustus was on the Landing Craft Assault 827 (LCA), serving with 515 Flotilla when he was involved in the first wave of the assault after setting off at 8.14am. The Able Seaman, stationed on HMS St Helier, was aboard the LCA when it was hit by mortar fire and sank. Troops were rescued by a Landing Craft Tank (LCT) and the nearby LCA 878.

Augustus’ best friend Cecil Ireland was killed in the bombing. Mr Ireland died aged 22 and was buried at the Bayeux War Cemetery, which was at the centre of much of the commemorations yesterday (June 5). Jack said: “The night before the invasion, my grandad said to Cecil ‘if you had your time again on earth, would you still be here and a part of this?’ Cecil said ‘I wouldn’t change this and I’ll still be here’.

“In a couple of hours, he was killed. My grandad suffered from post traumatic stress disorder and told my dad this story. He felt strongly enough to tell my dad, and he never forgot the name. The only time he went abroad was to fight in the invasion. I’m extremely proud of him. I’ve grown up with this story. If we didn’t have men doing this in these times, we would live in a completely different world. I’m really grateful to him and we’re proud as a family.”

Augustus died in the 1980s when Jack’s father was just 21. On the day he passed, he put out a house fire which took place next door to him, and said the smoke and the fire reminded him of D-Day. He had a heart attack later that afternoon. Jack said he made the signal, which involved measuring the dimensions from the drawings, cutting materials to size and other tasks, as a way to remember his grandad and link it to something everyone can see.

“I hope by sharing this story that it will encourage people to look into their family history and see the sacrifices men and women made to make the world we live in now,” he added. Jack said this pride he felt extended to the whole BAE Systems team. He added: “It’s fantastic. I’m used to making parts for ships, so to do something one-off is very interesting. I’ve had a lot of guidance from people in the workshop, and we’re all proud that we’ve made this.”