Imagine trying to work on the reverse of a fragile sheet of glass while looking in a mirror.

It’s a striking portrait of a young man about to head off to war. He stares straight at the camera, the words “Forget me not” carefully painted on the reverse of the intricate glass frame.

Laurie Woods, now 95, served with Bomber Command during the Second World War and was one of more than 3,300 Australians who were involved in the D-Day campaign.