Alan King shares the reality of the D-Day landings: chaos, carnage, noise, and confusion. Alan, a radio operator in the East Riding Yeomanry, tells of the storm in June 1944 that delayed the D-Day landings, and the chaos he witnessed as a young, inexperienced soldier landing on the Normandy beach of Luc-sur-Mer. He recounts crawling up the beach under a barrage of enemy fire, the tremendous noise, the carnage all around, and the death of his commanding officer, leaving them without direction. He recalls his involvement in the Battle of Goodwood, part of the larger battle for Caen, and tells how his crew commander died in his arms. Alan’s interview captures the horror and the unknown that many young men bravely faced. He witnessed people ‘dying all around’ but keeps the memory of his lost friends alive through regular trips to Normandy to visit their graves.

Born and raised in Sheffield, Yorkshire, Ann had a practical streak and a good sense of adventure. In the late 1930s, after reading about the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY) in a Territorial Army magazine, she and her close friend Lois Ragg decided to join. The organisation appealed to her — hands-on, disciplined, and useful. She trained in map reading, engine maintenance, and gas attack procedures, and took part in pre-war camps, one memorably inspected by Princess Alice. When war broke out, Ann was called up to Northern Command in York, later serving with the 2nd Air Cavalry Division near Nottingham. When the FANY became part of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), she stayed on, completing officer training in Edinburgh and earning her commission. Her wartime service took her across Britain, from northern headquarters to the southern coast, including a key posting in Dorset where she managed transport and logistics for anti-aircraft units, a demanding job she handled with steady efficiency. Later, she transferred to the Education Corps before her discharge in 1945. After the war, Ann’s resourcefulness found a new outlet. She co-founded Decor Studios Limited in London, producing lampshades at a time when the city was rebuilding and reinventing itself. She later married and settled into family life, carrying with her the same calm capability and sense of purpose that had defined her service years. The publication of this previously unseen interview was made possible thanks to a grant from The Gerry Holdsworth Special Forces Charity, to mark 80 years since the closure of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in January 1946.