Bob Sullivan joined the Royal Engineers in 1942 and soon volunteered for the special services as a paratrooper where he was assigned to number 3 parachute squadron Royal Engineers. Bob dropped into Normandy on June 5^th 1944, his squadron destroyed bridges along the river Dives to secure the allied left flank and then retreated to Breville to reinforce 9^th battalion who had taken a gun battery. Bob details life on the front line for an engineer in Normandy, this involved; building fortifications and gun batteries, going on patrol to detect mines, and laying Somerville tracks – whilst also repelling the German counterattack from the trenches. In December 1944, Bob was re-deployed to the Ardennes to identify and lift mines. Innovative glass and carbon fibre mines, combined with the freezing temperatures made this a torturous experience for Bob and his squadron. He left the Ardennes in February and shortly afterwards his squadron was disbanded, Bob transferred to number 1 troop and was sent to the Rhine in March. Upon landing he suffered a severe mortar wound to his leg, thus ending his military involvement in Europe. After a 5 month recovery period back home Bob “returned to the airborne” and was deployed in Palestine for a year. Bob delivers a uniquely extensive recollection of his experience in WW2, but more than anything the former paratrooper wants to highlight the memorable friendships he made during his service.

Bill Bennett talks openly about his service and his life, joining the Merchant Navy at a young age after leaving behind a difficult home life. He describes tough early training and rising to a wireless operator and pipeline specialist. His skills and experience led him to be involved in the top secret Tombola Division, where he played a crucial role in the first wave of the D-DAY landings, laying pipelines from the beaches. Bill talks explicitly about his chilling first hand experiences at Port-en-Bessin, on the boundary between Gold and Omaha beaches, aged 18. These experiences have stayed with him all his life. Despite his service and heroics, Bill talks about hard times after the war. But now in his 70s, he leads a busy and active life, describing his life as an adventure from which he’s never stopped learning. Bill’s interview is a lesson in overcoming extremes of adversity, and flourishing, making the most of his life by turning adversity into strength.

Bill Blount followed in the footsteps of his father and uncle by volunteering to join the Royal Marines at the outbreak of World War II. He was trained at the Royal Marine Commando Barracks in Lympstone, where he endured rigorous physical training and forged deep bonds of camaraderie with his fellow Marines. He played a crucial role in the D-Day landings, supporting the Canadian forces on Juno Beach, providing escorts from his landing craft. His ship was part of the Trout Line, a nighttime defence line around Normandy, a position fraught with stress and danger. He recounts the immense challenges and profound sense of duty that characterised his wartime experiences. Blount's memories include difficult experiences, such as witnessing the destruction of a ship beside his own and seeing a Spitfire hit by a rocket, transforming into a ball of red fire. His stories capture the intensity and chaos of war and the emotional impact of these events on those who lived through them. After Normandy and one week of leave, Blount was sent to Malaya, Singapore, Burma and eventually Sumatra on board another landing craft. Blount's eventual return to the UK was filled with mixed emotions. He describes his simple but pleasant life, tempered by the lasting memories of the war and the comrades he lost. His reflections are a powerful testament to the enduring mark that war leaves on those who serve, underscoring the sacrifices and resilience of the Royal Marines during one of history's most challenging periods.

Fred Millward joined the Army when he was seventeen, he served with the 9th Battalion Parachute regiment and was part of the D-day landings and the Battle of Merville Gun Battery. In his interview he talks us through his training, the year building up to June 1944, and the D-day landings. Before the day, Fred and his team knew a mission was close after switching to practicing night jumps. Their Commanding Officer briefed them, warning many wouldn't return. They flew from RAF Broadwell to the French coast, and Fred was blown out of the plane by anti-aircraft fire. Thankfully, he landed safely near the rendezvous point, but sadly, many men died, with only 150 of 700 making it on time for the start of the mission. The fighting began right away, with many men dying from landmines. Fred described the Merville Gun Battery as being surrounded by barbed wire, cattle fencing, and minefields. They breached the area with Bangalore torpedoes and covered 150 yards to reach the main fortification, which Fred called a miracle. After completing their mission, they were mistakenly bombed by Americans but luckily everyone survived. After regrouping, they went to Chateau De Saint Come and were ordered to defend it at all costs – no retreat, no surrender. The Chateau overlooked the whole flank of the Allied invasion, critical for winning. They stayed for five days amidst horrific fighting, with Fred describing the terrible smell and conditions. Fred was sent to Bois De Bavent forest and had a close call. He and his sergeant were helping survivors of a crash when they were mortared by the enemy. Fred’s sergeant died, and Fred was severely injured, losing hearing in one ear. After recovering, he was offered a guard commander position. During the Allied invasion, Fred met his future wife from the Auxiliary Territorial Service, and they married in 1945.

Eric was conscripted into the army at age 18 and was assigned to the Royal Armoured Corps. He trained on a flail tank, which cleared mines, in readiness for the Normandy invasion. They landed on D-Day with his tank driving through shallow water, clearing mines as it went and supporting Canadian infantry. During the action he realised his shoulder was wet with blood. His commanding officer, above him in the tank, had been wounded. Eric helped him out of the tank and the officer was picked up by the medical corps. The remainder of the crew realised that their rations for five would now go further as there were only four of them! While mine clearing they drove very slowly with a good view of the carnage taking place during which his attitude was one of self-preservation and ‘Thank God it wasn’t me’. Later, in Germany, he was ordered to machine gun farmhouses in case they housed enemy troops when a young mother holding a toddler ran out. She jumped into a trench and the child survived but the mother died after being hit by their gun fire. Eric is still upset by this as it was probably his gunnery and thinks about it now, speculating on how old the woman would be if she had lived. He served the entire campaign in western Europe and was later sent to Palestine during the Zionist insurrection. He considers himself to have had the luck of the proverbial cat with nine lives.

At the onset of the Second World War, 16 year old Andrzej Jeziorski was living with his family in Warsaw, Poland. Within days, his father, a Polish Air Force officer, was transferred to southeastern Poland with his family. After the Soviet invasion of their country, they crossed the border into Romania and eventually made their way to France, where Polish Armed Forces units were regrouping. Andrzej Jeziorski continued his schooling in Paris until May 1940, when, at the age of 17, he joined the Polish Army as an Officer Cadet. He was then evacuated to England along with many other Polish servicemen and continued his training in their Tank Corps. In 1942, Jeziorski transferred to the Air Force to train as a pilot and, in 1943, joined the Polish RAF Squadron 304, flying Wellingtons in Coastal Command, mainly on anti-submarine patrols over the Bay of Biscay. He continued these missions until the war's end and expressed disappointment at the fate of his homeland and its Soviet occupation. Jeziorski remained with the RAF until 1948 and went on to become a commercial pilot, settling in the UK with his family.

Henry William “Buster” Brown grew up during the Second World War, evacuated as a child and training later as an apprentice electrical engineer. Determined not to end up in the mines, he went against his father’s wishes and volunteered for the Royal Navy. His skills as a wireman saw him posted to a specially adapted Landing Craft Flak — a flat-topped vessel bristling with anti-aircraft guns and manned by a close-knit crew of sailors and Royal Marines.

In his interview, Buster recalls training in Combined Operations, landing on Sword Beach on D-Day and almost immediately being placed in charge of 12 German prisoners. He describes patrolling the Gooseberry line off the Normandy coast under shellfire, cramped and damp life aboard LCF 39, and the loss of close friends. He recounts rescuing men from HMS Swift after she struck a mine, and the ferocious fighting of the Walcheren landings to open up Antwerp.

Buster’s story ends with his memories of VE Day and an unexpected posting to America — a vivid, humorous and heartfelt account of a remarkable naval career.

Harry Eddy was born in Devon and joined the Navy in 1943. Following training in Letchworth and Troon, he passed as a wireman and was posted to the LCT-944 (landing craft tank) in readiness for the D-Day landings. Harry describes in detail life aboard his LCT and the responsibilities of his role, recalling the horrors of war and the Navy’s perhaps rather shocking approach to recruits who abandoned their posts during the height of battle. He also remembers how an attempt by his crew to rescue a stricken landing craft from Sword Beach nearly sank his own ship, leaving him lucky to make it back to Britain alive. After the liberation of France, Harry recalls how he and his shipmates headed for Westkapelle, a coastal town in the Netherlands, where the promised and much-relied-upon air support didn’t arrive. In his own words, “It made D-Day look easy.” Harry also shares his memories of VE Day, and joyfully recalls an emotional reunion at a meeting of the LST and Landing Craft Association with his best friend from the war who he hadn’t seen for 40 years.

Prior to enlisting in 1942, Terry lived through the Birmingham Blitz. The Army wasn’t his first choice but fear of heights ruled out the RAF and he definitely didn’t want to work as a stoker in the Navy so the Army it was, where Terry became trained in a new weapon, the Flail Tank. The Flail Tank took a lot of getting used to. The visibility was poor and this was a big issue when Terry landed on Juno beach. Another problem was the tank chains being blown off by mines. Eventually, the tank became stranded and as Terry sought cover he stood on a mine. Thankfully, the mine was defective but no sooner had he survived this scrape when he encountered an anti-tank mine, again, somehow remaining unhurt. While repairing the tanks, Terry’s group suffered heavy losses in a German attack. From that point on the tank crews were under manned and Terry became a gunner. Terry shares his recollections of moving through France including an attack on an underground radar station, the Battle of Le Havre, the fight to take Carpiquet and how he thinks he made it through thanks to the cool, calm nature of his driver, Ben. Terry also recollects a local family they would spend time with, sharing food, singing songs and looking out for each other. Terry went back about 10 years ago and was able to find one of the children, now a woman in her fifties. Terry ended the war in Germany then spent 12 months in Palestine.

Don McArthur recounts how his D Day parachute drop went awry, trapping him behind enemy lines with no supplies and causing him to spend ten months as a prisoner of war. During D Day Don had suspected that his given orders were flawed but the extreme camaraderie he had experienced in the Parachute Regiment prevented him from trusting his doubt and confusion.   Tasked with delivering mortars to a rendezvous point, Don and his platoon were dropped into Normandy on a dark, rainy night with no way to distinguish where to land or where to move towards. Despite the conditions he was able to locate three more of the lost Paras but no maps had been given out so following the noise of explosions was now their only option. After ten days of wandering the empty countryside with no supplies and no enemy or ally contact they were discovered by German soldiers and Don was captured.   Don found the prison camp’s staff strict and quick to anger but he couldn’t blame them for just doing their job and didn’t resist their interrogations due to how worn out he was. After having been released one month after World War 2 ended, the Parachute Regiment asked him to return to their ranks but Don instead chose to go live with his wife and infant child.        

On the same day a 16-year-old Harry Card was turned away from the Army for being underage, he was signed up to the Navy by a passing chief petty officer, and so began his death-defying military career. Harry joined HMS Swift, an S-class destroyer, in late 1943 and set sail on the Arctic convoys. He describes the Arctic’s mountainous seas in terrifying detail, and recalls various hair-raising moments of his service including submarine attacks, clearing ice from the ship’s masts, and Operation Tungsten: the Navy air raid that targeted the German battleship Tirpitz. Later on in the war, HMS Swift was on the front line of the D-Day landings. Harry vividly recalls the opening bombardment as they sat poised off Sword Beach in Normandy, before describing the exact moment the ship was struck by an oyster mine and split clean in half. Despite the sinking of the Swift, Harry survived and was given six weeks to recover, after which he set sail once more.  This time he was on HMS Odzani, heading for the Far East where he embarked on further convoy duties and assisted in the liberation of Hong Kong and Singapore.

Gordon Smith shares an emotional account of his WWII experiences, starting with memories of the Blitz. As a Royal Engineer he was involved in the secretive construction of the Mulberry Harbours, a massive project involving over 40,000 people and 13 million cubic meters of concrete. On D-Day, Gordon landed on Sword Beach and recalls fighting the enemy and his friends! He recalls the severe impact on Calais, which was heavily bombed by the 10th Panzer Division in May 1940, fortified by Germans, and used as a V1 Flying Bomb launch site. In February 1945, he was haunted by a British bombing mistake on Calais. He is also posted to the Far East and describes the Changi POW camp, where the Japanese held 50,000 POWs in the British Army's Selarang Barracks. Gordon reflects on the war's profound effect on him, despite feeling fortunate to have been in the right place at the right time.