D-Day was a day that truly changed history, but not without costing many young men their lives, write PERCY REBOUL and JOHN HEATHFIELD Many older members of our community will recall June 6, 1944 D-Day the day the Allies landed on the beaches of Normandy. It was one of the great events in world history and one in which many men and women from Barnet played their part.

Although it was almost exactly 60 years ago, their memories may well include some of the events leading up to the invasion: American troops on our streets; tracked vehicles and other heavy equipment rattling through the high streets en route to embarkation points; hundreds of aircraft droning across the sky on the big day itself. Among the first units to land on D-Day were troops from the Middlesex Regiment, whose depot and training centre was at Mill Hill barracks.

A little later, newspapers were to record details of some of those who were killed and wounded in the fierce battles: Killed: Capt Gaydon; Cpl Ames; Ptes Newson, Payton, Pearce, Pedrick, Stedman, Baxter, Hall and Ling to name a few.

Typical of those who died was Private Henry Hack of Prospect Place, East Finchley. He was 19 when he was killed on the first day of the invasion. Before joining the Army, he had been in the Finchley Home Guard. He and his brothers were educated at Holy Trinity School in East End Road and he worked in Pulhams butcher's shop. He was a good athlete and keen swimmer.

His parents had already lost a nephew in the war and had two more sons serving in the Army: Joseph in the RAMC and Frederick in the Royal Artillery. Did they survive the war?

We would be interested to hear from anyone who was present on the big day or knew anyone who took part so that it can be placed on local history records.

On the so-called Home Front' there were shortages of just about everything and life was made more difficult by the dreaded pilotless flying bomb known variously as the 'buzz-bomb' or 'doodlebug'.

A leaflet to the population gave advice on how to survive: "To protect yourself from blasts in parks and open country lie down in a ditch. Don't try to run more that a few yards. You will be safe from anything other than a direct hit... authors' wishful thinking! ...Don't hang around in shelter doorways to see what is going on. At home, duck under a table or get into an inner passage or under the stairs. Reduce danger by taking down mirrors..."

To celebrate the invasion, a special issue of dried eggs was off the ration for one week only. Newspapers carried an advertisement on How to make an omelette; how to make scrambled eggs'. There was a reminder, too, of the ludicrous situations that could arise from wartime regulations. Prices were controlled. Bruno Rimini, of Ringwood Avenue, Finchley, apparently threatened the outcome of the war by selling a mouth organ for more that the permitted price. He was fined ten shillings.

June 1944 was notable not just for the D-Day landings.

Rifleman Terence Bradshaw, of 267 Ballards Lane, North Finchley, was repatriated. He had been badly wounded in North Africa and taken prisoner near Tobruk. He spent 17 months in an Italian hospital before being sent to a PoW camp in Germany which housed 600 British prisoners as well as 25,000 French and Russians. It was regarded as one of the worst Stalags in Germany and without Red Cross parcels, Bradshaw would probably not have survived.

If you or your family have any special memories of D-Day, then write to Percy and John at Times Rememered, Hendon Times Group, 71 Church Road, Hendon, NW4 4DN or email at the address below.