A 101-year-old D-Day veteran awarded the British Empire Medal has warned that Britain risks repeating the mistakes made before World War Two, describing the country’s current direction as “disappointing.”
Mervyn Kersh, from Cockfosters in north London, received the honour for his wartime service and his ongoing work speaking to schoolchildren about the Holocaust. He said the recognition was deeply meaningful, particularly because it came from his own country.
“It’s a wonderful thing,” Mr Kersh said, comparing the award to France’s Legion d’honneur, which he previously received. “But being honoured by your own country carries a special significance.”
Despite saying his service during World War Two “was worth it,” Mr Kersh expressed deep concern about Britain today. “It’s disappointing what’s turned out now,” he said, pointing to political attitudes and social tensions that he believes echo the 1930s.
Mr Kersh arrived in Normandy aged just 19, three days after the D-Day landings in June 1944. He served with the Royal Army Ordnance Corps as a technical clerk, responsible for organising vehicle support for frontline units.
Later in the war, he was stationed near Bergen-Belsen concentration camp when it was liberated by British troops in April 1945, an experience that shaped his lifelong commitment to Holocaust remembrance and education.
For years, Mr Kersh has visited schools to speak about the origins of the war and the dangers of hatred and intolerance. However, he admitted that his message does not always land as he hopes.
“My efforts do not always work,” he said. “What’s disappointing is the antisemitism that I see everywhere, hear everywhere, or read.” He described rising antisemitism in the UK as one of his greatest worries.
Mr Kersh said the world today reminded him strongly of the period leading up to World War Two. “There’d be no need for a war now, we’ve got the wrong attitude,” he told students, stressing that complacency and poor leadership can have devastating consequences.
He said he “absolutely” sees comparisons between the present day and the late 1930s, warning that Russia was “threatening the west” and that Western nations were failing to respond with sufficient resolve.
“The top budget should be defence,” Mr Kersh said. “There’s nothing there for anything else. Defence must come first, second, third, fourth and fifth, because only if you’re strong, you won’t be attacked.”
He drew a direct comparison between today’s leaders and former prime minister Neville Chamberlain, whose policy of appeasement towards Adolf Hitler failed to prevent war.
“They think they’ve just got to hope and make speeches,” Mr Kersh said. “We’ve got to either have another leader who’s more aggressive – I don’t mean start a war, but aggressive – or we’ve got to defend. That’s the first concern.”
His comments come amid renewed focus on Britain’s military preparedness. The Ministry of Defence recently announced a “gap year” scheme offering school and college leavers short-term experience in the Army, Royal Navy or Royal Air Force.
Earlier this year, the prime minister said the UK was moving to “war-fighting readiness,” arguing that growing global threats require a new era of defence planning and investment.
The British Empire Medal, which Mr Kersh received, is awarded for distinguished civil or military service and sits within the wider UK honours system announced annually.
Mr Kersh has long been associated with remembrance efforts in Normandy and has served as an ambassador for the British Normandy Memorial. During the war, he also met Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery during the Normandy campaign.
As Britain reflects on the voices of its last surviving World War Two veterans, Mr Kersh said he hopes his warnings will be taken seriously. “We’ve been here before,” he said. “If people don’t learn from history, they’re bound to repeat it.”
