Kenneth Porter – Légion d’Honneur

Able Seaman, D-Day Veteran – Juno Beach, 1944

On June 6, 1944, the world shifted. The Allied landings on the beaches of Normandy marked the beginning of the end of World War II. Among the countless young servicemen answering the call that day was Kenneth Porter, just 18 years old, serving as an Able Seaman aboard a landing craft in the 510 Flotilla.

Kenneth’s D-Day began off the coast of Normandy aboard the mother ship Invicta, where he waited alongside the Canadian Winnipeg Rifles, part of the 7th Canadian Infantry Brigade. When the order came—“all boats away”—his craft surged forward at full steam toward Juno Beach. What awaited them was not glory, but grim reality.

Years later, Kenneth recalled that moment not with bravado, but with deep emotion. He described “just carnage”—bodies in the sea, the chaos of battle, and the weight of youth in the face of unimaginable horror. With tears in his eyes, he once said, “Don’t forget, I was only 18 years old.”

After helping land troops under fire, Kenneth’s mission continued. His craft returned to England to bring more men into the fray—this time also carrying a nurse on board, a symbol of both the suffering and the strength carried by so many.

Kenneth never sought the spotlight. Like so many of his generation, he carried the burden of war quietly, with humility and grace. This tribute honours not only his service, but his truth: that the cost of peace is etched in the memories of those who lived it—and in those they left behind.