A SOUTHAMPTON boy’s tribute to local war heroes on the anniversary of D-Day has been met with an outpouring of support from people in the community.

Troy Bradley, aged five, laid poppies on soldiers’ graves with his dad in their local cemetery at Bitterne Anglican Church on the poignant occasion - which marked the 77th anniversary of the Normandy landings.

Dad, James, 43, said: “I have a keen interest in WW2 and I have been telling Troy about it and the sacrifices the men and women made so that we could live our lives today.

“I told him that I would take him to show him where service personnel are buried and Troy said ‘We could make them all happy if we took them poppies.’ “So that’s what we have been doing ever since.”

Photos of their efforts have since gained more than two thousand likes on a community page.

One commenter described the act as “a wonderful way to remember the fallen”, while another said “So lovely to see such an act of kindness and thoughtfulness.”

Another posted: “Thank you. My great grandfather is in one of those graves.”

James described the reaction from the community as “amazing” and “surprising”.

He added: “It seems that the golden generation are being forgotten by younger people.

“We have received messages from service personnel wanting to send Troy thank you cards and have also had messages from relatives of the soldiers saying ‘thank you’ for doing what we did.”

The pair left poppies at 14 graves in total though three could not be reached due to overgrown grass at the cemetery.

James has since promised his son they will return when the grass has been cut.

From the Hampshire Regiment alone, 2,094 men had died by the end of WW2.