EU referendum: Second World War veterans say Brexit threatens peace and stability they fought for

A short film has been released in which veterans of the Second World War explain why they are against Britain leaving the European Union as it jeopardises the peace and stability that they fought for.

The 90-second clip, published by campaign group Britain Stronger in Europe on 9 May 2016, shows veterans Harry Leslie Smith, David Meylan, Patrick Churchill and Field Marshall Lord Bramall give their reasons as to why they think Britain should say no to Brexit at the upcoming referendum on 23 June.

"At the age of 18 I joined the RAF to do my bit for Britain. For me, Britain is stronger in Europe because it reflects the values my generation fought for in Europe during the Second World War," says RAF veteran and activist Harry Leslie Smith. "If it breaks or if we are not in that union then countries will fall apart. The only solution is to bind together, hold together, [and] there we find the strength," notes Patrick Churchill, a former Royal Marine Commando who fought at D-Day.

"We would be going backwards not forwards in what we set out to cure after the terrible tragedies of the Second World War," adds Field Marshal Lord Bramall, former Chief of the Defence Staff.

The video clip was screened as part of a speech by UK Prime Minister David Cameron at the British Museum in which he said Britain is "stronger, safer and better off" inside the EU, with just over a month to go before the 23 June ballot.

This claim by the prime minister have been dismissed by some leading historians as 'historically illiterate'. In a collection of essays published by the Vote Leave campaign, Dr Andrew Roberts dismissed the notion that the EU has maintained peace in Europe since the Second World War.

"By contrast with Nato's long, stalwart history of militarily standing up to totalitarianism, the EU has been a purely trading organisation, albeit one with a vastly inflated opinion of itself, one that the Nobel Committee sadly saw fit to inflate even further in 2012 [When it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize]," he said.