Voices of VE Day 75 - Alan King

WW2 Nation Podcast

To mark the 75th Anniversary Commemorations of VE Day, we spoke with a few of the veterans we know about their experiences on 8th May 1945 and hear their advice for future generations.

Alan served in ‘B’ Squadron the 1st East Riding Yeomanry as a wireless operator on a Sherman Tank. Landing in Normandy on D-Day on 6th June 1944 as part of 27th Armoured Brigade, Alan and his crew fought all the way through Normandy, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and into Germany. He took part in Operation Charnwood, Goodwood, Astonia, Operation Alan in the Netherlands, the Battle of the Bulge and subsequent Rhine Crossings. Alan had been incredibly lucky in Normandy as he and his crew had 3 tanks shot out from under them. On 8th July 1944 during the engagement at Galmanche, Alan sadly lost his close friend Corporal Louis Wilkes – every year Alan visits and pays his respect to his former tank commander.

*Please note this episode may contain some explicit language / content, parental guidance advised.*