The memories of war veterans from across Pembrokeshire have been recorded for a special project to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
Authors Hugh Morgan and GJ Lewis have both been interviewing veterans of World War Two for the past 30 years.
They have now collected the interviews in a book, titled ‘World War Two: Voices from Wales’.
The collection includes unpublished interviews with Dennis Tidswell from Pembroke, Ted Owens from Pembroke Dock, Tony Bird from Freshwater East, Duncan Hilling from Saundersfoot, and Gordon Prime from Jameston.
Mr Hilling’s memories include the nine months he spent in Japan with the Welch Regiment after the atom bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
“In the first few days of arriving, I drove six of us into Hiroshima to see the damage there,” said Mr Hilling, now aged 99.
“It’s indescribable, really. We went into a hospital, where people were just lying on beds. A lot of them, their skin had peeled off their faces and arms. It was a hideous sight.
“Lots of them were blind: the bomb had blinded them when they heard this plane overhead and looked up, which was absolutely fatal because they saw this bomb explode in midair right above them.”
Dennis Tidswell, who died in 2022, aged 99, took part in the Battle of Britain and the siege of Malta, while Ted Owens and Gordon Prime, who both died in 2023, aged 98, were D-Day veterans.
Gordon was a familiar face to those in Tenby, as he was a ‘poppy collector’ for the Royal British Legion for many years around the town.
Tony Bird, now 101, and his future wife, Florence Paul, who died in the 1980s, were also both involved in D-Day.
Florence was on-board a ship, helping to send messages to the fleet taking part in the invasion, while Tony was also at sea, supporting the landing on the Normandy beaches.
“My most vivid memory of the invasion was the tremendous number of aircraft flying over, as we were going cross-Channel – there were literally hundreds of aircraft going over, obviously going in to drop their troops inland, in anticipation of the invasion,” he told the authors.
The book’s co-author Hugh Morgan said: “As a child growing up during the 50s and 60s, I was accustomed to living in a society of men and women who had been through the hell of WW2.
“Sadly, the veterans I knew back then are now almost all gone. But the joy and immense privilege of interviewing so many over the years has always stayed with me: their jaw-dropping memories were so vivid and powerful.
“Our book captures the unique experiences of 50 ordinary men and women who fought and survived with enormous personal tenacity and courage to defeat the absolute tyranny of fascism.
“Reading their stories, in today’s increasingly troubling world, provides us with a clear warning from history.”