An 11-year-old girl will become a BBC presenter for D-day sharing her family tale of aeroplane ‘loopdy loops’ and other veteran tales.
Lyra Morgan from Aberystwyth will help the broadcaster celebrate the 80th anniversary of D-day with her eight-year-old brother Remy, recounting their great-great grandfather’s risky VE-day flight, their great-great uncle's incredible walk home to Wales from France and their great-great aunt who became a ‘war bride’.
The pair will take part in a special BBC documentary to air on 6 June when in 1944 the UK army and allies stormed occupied French beaches.
Lyra will interview a 100-year-old war WWII veteran and travel to Normandy to see a D-day beach for the first time.
Lyra, who studies at Ysgol Penweddig, said: “I’m a bit nervous and excited at the same time.
“I care about this history because it’s a true story of what [our family] had to deal with.
“I don’t like the idea of these stories being lost.”
Lyra’s great-great-grandfather Ted Morgan celebrated VE-day with risky ‘loopdy loops’ in his plane, where he flew so close to the ground people could read his plane numbers.
Her great-great uncle Kemys Morgan was in the RAF and participated in bombing French bridges in an attempt to stop German soldiers from invading.
After the failed mission Kemys could not catch an evacuating train home so he ‘walked’ back to Wales- arriving with no soles on his shoes.
Great-great aunt Chrissie Morgan treated D-day casualties including a handsome Canadian soldier who fell in love with her. They married and lived a happy life together in Canada.
Polly Morgan, Lyra’s mum, took it upon herself to teach her children about their family history during 2020’s pandemic lockdown: “Parents were encouraged to home-educate so I focused on interesting bits like our own family’s history.
“There’s an awful lot of stories that will be lost with the ageing veterans, so Lyra was really keen for our family to get the opportunity to tell ours.”
Lyra’s grandfather Hugh Morgan OBE founded Age Cymru Dyfed’s West Wales Veterans’ Archive. To include your family’s story get in touch -https://westwalesveteransarchive.com/getinvolved/