Stanley grew up in Gravesend where he witnessed war directly when an incendiary bomb landed in his bedroom. He recalls how Gravesend was often a target if the German aircraft couldn’t make it to London. He was later conscripted into the Royal Engineers and posted to the 1^st British Corp in Scotland where he assisted in D-Day logistical planning. Stanley then travelled to Normandy on an American landing craft. He paints a vivid picture of the scene when they arrived. Once in Normandy, it was Stanley’s responsibility to procure and issue engineering supplies. He was eventually promoted to Quartermaster Sergeant.

Stanley is grateful that they had a clear landing, while there was plenty of gunfire it wasn’t directed at them, though he spent the first night dug into a hedge and didn’t think he would see the dawn. Stanley travelled through France, Belgium and Germany. He remembers one incident when they had to stop to move a farm truck from a road, when they came back hours later there were piles of German mines all along the sides of the road as if someone was looking out for them and had moved the mines out of their way, but he never knew who. Stanley counts himself incredibly lucky for making it through the war and for meeting his wife at this time to whom he was married for 68 years. He has been back to Normandy twice and even met a man who was a 5 year old boy when Stanley landed.