Katie’s step-grandfather
Katie Ashby, who formed The D-Day Darlings, has the honour of singing for a war hero still alive today. The 40-year-old’s stepgrandfather Clifford Storr was in the RAF as a navigator in Lancaster bombers during the Second World War.
Clifford is 95 and takes huge pride in Katie’s singing.
Katie, from Tamworth, Staffs, says: “When he signed up he was 17 and told of the risks – it was 50% he wouldn’t make it, but he still signed up like thousands of others and risked his life.
“He had a lot of near misses. He had a crash landing that he survived, although he was injured. I become emotional about that when I sing. We have at the forefront of our minds our heroes, whether they are alive or lost.”
She adds: “Clifford thinks it’s amazing, honouring everyone who fought. He is so proud we are keeping this going; a young group of girls with a strong mission, to keep this wartime memory alive into the next 100 years.”
For Clifford, these songs mean the world after his wartime experiences. “I didn’t expect to survive,” he says. “The odds against coming through were stacked against me. I’ve no regrets, but lots of sadness that so many of my friends never made it. “Of the more than 55,000 aircrew who were killed there was potentially a Prime Minister who never was. These were all very young men who volunteered to put their lives on the line.” He tells the girls: “You are keeping the British spirit alive.”