Lancashire WW2 veterans Stuart, 100, and Ken, 97, board VIP jet to Normandy for D-Day service

And the VIP visit was made possible thanks to a collaboration between plane makers BAE Systems, a taxi charity and a Preston-based veterans' organisation.

Stuart Taylor, aged 100, and 97-year-old Ken Benbow were flown over to France in a private jet, accompanied by retired Army Colonel David Waters, and were met on the tarmac at Caen by volunteers from the London-based Taxi Charity for Military Veterans.

The two World War Two fighters were given an escort by outriders as they were driven to the British Normandy Memorial at Ver-sur-Mer to take part in the international service attended by Defence Secretary and Preston North MP Ben Wallace.

"It’s a simple fact that without BAE Systems intervening in such a timely fashion, our two veterans would not have been able to attend this prestigious occasion," said Colonel Waters, president of the Central Lancashire Armed Forces Veterans Association.

"The Taxi Charity provided an additional key piece in the logistic jigsaw that made the transport plan appear seamless and effortless and left our veterans in no doubt that they are precious and valuable national treasures.

"They represented themselves, the traditions of our armed forces and the nation in general and we can all be very proud they were able to do that. Well done BAE and well done the Taxi Charity.”

Ken, who lives in a care home at Kirkham, served in the Royal Navy during the war. He helped protect merchant ships in the North Atlantic from German U-Boats, supported troops in the Mediterranean at the invasion of Sicily and was on board his ship HMS Crane in Tokyo Bay for the Japanese surrender.

Stuart, from Penwortham, was a Dakota pilot who transported troops and equipment to the front for the advance on Arnhem - immortalised in the film A Bridge Too Far. He also ferried in US troops for the Battle of the Bulge at Ardennes and spent a year in the Far East after the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan.

Rachael Gordon, director of external communications BAE Systems Air said: “We recognise it is such an important time for the veterans and relatives of the fallen to gather together - and for all of us - to give thanks to the Allied servicemen and women who gave their lives in the D-Day landings and in the Normandy Campaign. It’s a pleasure to have been able to play a role in making sure that veterans Ken and Stewart could attend the 79th anniversary of the D-Day Landings."

Brian Heffernan, chairman of the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans added: “When we first learned of the ambitious plans to fly Ken and Stuart to Normandy on D Day, we immediately offered our help. Ken and Ben were justly treated like VIP’s and we were thrilled to be part of this project to allow the veterans to participate in this important event.”