Billy Reynolds: 'I knew those bombs were for me'

Billy Reynolds landed on Gold Beach as part of the D-Day landings, but recalls the scenes of devastation that greeted him.

"All around the bows [of the ships] were dead sailors," he said.

He then drove trucks full of ammunition up to the front line as Allied forces encountered fierce battles with the Nazis.

In one incident just outside Caen, he heard the whistling of German bombs overhead.

"I knew by the scream of those bombs that those bombs were for me."

Luckily, none of the bombs exploded on impact and Billy continued on his quest to liberate Europe.

Billy died in 2023.

We Were There aims to collect as many first-hand accounts as possible by 2025, the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two, to preserve veterans' accounts for future generations.

The BBC is currently working on the project with a number of partners including the Normandy Memorial Trust and Royal British Legion. Some of the stories collected may be shared with our partners and used on BBC News platforms.

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