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John Roberts: 'I wouldn't have missed it for anything'

John Roberts has spoken to the BBC about his memories of D-Day and said he "wouldn't have missed it for anything".

Mr Roberts, who first joined the Royal Navy aged 13, said he was "very glad" he played his part in the Normandy landings.

As a 20-year-old sub-lieutenant, he served aboard HMS Serapis at the front of the convoy arriving at Sword beach on 6th June 1944.

The ship remained for 11 days as it fired on German positions along the French coast.

Mr Roberts said his memories of D-Day are still very clear, adding "we escorted the minesweepers that had to sweep the English Channel to Normandy because the Germans had laid thousands of mines".

He said he believed that remembering the fallen was important to help prevent future conflicts.

Mr Roberts served long after the Second World War ended, he stayed on until 1978, having reached the rank of rear admiral.

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.

If you have a story to share, or know someone who does, please click here to tell us a little bit more or use one of the methods below.

Do you or someone you know have memories of World War Two? Please share these experiences by emailing [email protected].

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