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George Henderson from Gosforth in Newcastle took part in the D Day landings.

On 6 June 1944, he was serving in the Navy on a landing ship called LST 8; delivering tanks and troops onto Juno Beach – the site of some of the fiercest fighting.

He remembers seeing troops shot as they left his vessel and their bodies floating in the water. He then spent several weeks transporting troops and vehicles to France before retraining as a torpedo man and was sent to – what was then – Ceylon to serve on the submarine depot ship HMS Wolfe.

On VE Day, he remembers the captain coming onto the ship’s loudspeaker and announcing that the war was over in Europe. They all got double rations of rum and had a special lunch. They then celebrated on the ship by singing into the night.

But, he says, their celebrations were tinged with sadness as they listened to the radio and heard what was happening in Trafalgar Square. He says they were very aware that their war was not over and he says they talked about how the Japanese would never surrender and it felt that their war would continue for many years.

A few months later they were preparing for an invasion of Japan when the Americans dropped the atom bomb on Hiroshima and three days later on Nagasaki. Shortly after that, the Japanese surrendered and George’s war was finally over. Although, he didn’t make it back to Tyneside until 1946.

Image: George Henderson

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