The 6th June 2019 marks the 75th anniversary of D-Day. Had the Allies lost the war and had the Nazis invaded Britain, my family would not be alive today. They would probably have been murdered in Auschwitz.

Like many people of my generation, I am increasingly aware of the bravery of those involved in WWII. It is extraordinary to think that thousands of soldiers, sailors, pilots and many, many others performing vital and dangerous tasks, were younger than me.

I want to pay tribute to their sacrifice and courage. To mark this important anniversary I have been working on a series of portraits of veterans.

It’s been my privilege to meet Harry Billinge, a 18 year old Sapper with the Royal Engineers, who landed on Gold Beach at 0630 on June 6 1944 and fought his way across Europe; Dennis Thompson (96), who flew his 6th bombing mission on D-Day in a B24 Bomber, Rose Davies, a 102 year old (!) who was a radio operator during the war;

Mervyn Kersh who fought his way across Europe and was introduced to me by the Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women (AJEX); Lance Bombardier Arthur Jones (aged 94) who drove a Sherman Tank ( a ‘Hobart Funny’) through Normandy, into Belgium and then Germany; and George Skipper (96) who fought in the Normandy Campaign and now lives at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea.

As part of this project, in June last year, I travelled to Normandy for the 75th anniversary of D Day. I was the guest of The Normandy Institute, who brought British, American, Canadian and French veterans together at a chateau for a special lunch. And on the day of the anniversary - June 6 - I met a number of D Day veterans who were brought to Bayeux by the Royal British Legion. This was a unique opportunity to meet them and draw their portraits. The ‘Legion invited me to exhibit some of the portraits and it was a privilege to show them to HRH the Prince of Wales, HRH the Duchess of Cornwall and former Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Theresa May MP.