A World War Two veteran has labelled Britain’s victory against the Nazis a “waste of time” and warned the UK has “gone downhill”.
Mervyn Kersh, 101, a Jewish D-Day veteran who witnessed the liberation of Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945, voiced his frustrations about modern Britain.
He singled out the issue of immigration of immigration, with Channel crossings in 2025 so far exceeding 41,000.
Mr Kersh, who was once lauded for his efforts by ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson, told The Daily Mail: “I think it [the war] was a waste of time, because the benefits we got from it, the wartime camaraderie and everyone, almost everybody, mucked in [with] whatever they could do.
“Whatever [way] they could help somebody else they did. That wasn’t just in the army. You don’t get that now, no.”
He added: “This country has gone right downhill.
“I know the population is changing. Some are leaving, and then others are coming who have no understanding or knowledge of what this country was like, not only just its history, but it’s morals.”
Mr Kersh, who now lives alone following the death of his wife Betty in 2018, insisted he has “no objection” with genuine asylum seekers but did go on to highlight concerns about migrant crossings.
Mr Kersh, who now lives alone following the death of his wife Betty in 2018, insisted he has “no objection” with genuine asylum seekers but did go on to highlight concerns about migrant crossings
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However, Mr Kersh was also asked how Britain’s recent leaders compare to the likes of Sir Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher.
The 101-year-old added: “They didn’t just try to keep the job to the next day, next session, a bit of sparring with the opposition, and then come and have a drink job.”
Mr Kersh, who was born in Brixton in 1924, signed up to join the Ordnance Corps in 1943.
After undergoing training in Scotland, Mr Kersh was ready to follow the main D-Day invasion force into Normandy.
The veteran landed on Gold Beach on the Normandy coast
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The veteran landed on Gold Beach on the Normandy coast.
Speaking about the experience previously, Mr Kersh said: “The landings was the biggest experience, the biggest and most emotional one.
“Landing on the coast with the intention of destroying the Germans.
“They were firing at the biggest ships out at sea and the British were firing above our heads at the Germans.
Mr Kersh was later stationed near Bergen-Belsen when the camp was liberated by British troops in April 1945
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“French women, children and old men greeted us with flowers, wine and kisses.
“I did not take the wine in case it was poisoned but I did take the flowers and the kisses. I was 19 at the time. I’m a bit older now.”
Mr Kersh was later stationed near Bergen-Belsen when the camp was liberated by British troops in April 1945.
However, Mr Kersh’s comments come shortly after ex-Royal Navy serviceman Alec Penstone made similar claims ahead of Remembrance Sunday.
British army soldiers depart for Normandy as reinforcements during Operation Overlord in 1944 | Getty
“My message is, I can see in my mind’s eye the rows and rows of white stones of all the hundreds of my friends and everybody else that gave their lives for what?” he said.
“The country of today. No, I’m sorry, the sacrifice wasn’t worth the result that it is now.”
Mr Penstone continued: “What we fought for, and what we fought for, was our freedom. We find that even now it’s downright worse than when I fought for it.”
The UK lost 384,000 soldiers in combat during the Second World War.
A further 70,000 British civilians were killed, including 40,000 between September 1940 and May 1941.