A 70th anniversary World War II commemoration to the biggest airborne operation ever staged will have added poignancy on Saturday; it will be the first time it will be marked without the person who started the memorial.

Private Johnny Johnson, was one of the last surviving veterans from the Rhine Crossing.

He had lived in Sutton since the 1950s and believed more should be done to mark such a major event in military history.

His entire platoon of 30 men were killed in the battle and to mark their passing he would go to the war memorial in Sutton to remember his friends who did not make it back.

He was 92 when he died in August last year.

To this day it remains the biggest airborne operation of all time, where one UK and one US airborne division were dropped into the midst of two German parachute divisions as part of the final push into Germany.

When his friends in the Croydon branch heard of his actions, they began to join him, and has now grown to include a short ceremony, where veterans are joined by local the mayors of Sutton, Croydon and Kingston.

Speaking in 2009 Mr Johnson said: “It is one of those things to remember our old comrades.

“The paratroopers were shot to pieces.

“It was the worst day of my life, it was really a disastrous day, 2,000 men died.

“We were lucky to get out of it alive.”

The memorial service will begin at 10.30am with short prayers and a description of the operation from chairman Ken Smith, who is also the current mayor of Kingston upon Thames and president Colonel John Power, followed by Last Post, silence and Reveille.