Jack Hearn: 'I was more scared of my mum and dad than the Nazis'
Jack Hearn, from Northumberland, fought in a number of battles during World War Two.
He was sent to Italy and also to Algiers, where he was tasked with manning a twin Bren gun at the back of his regiment's convoy.
"[You] do what you're trained to do," he said.
"Turn your machine gun in the direction of whatever it is that's attacking you and let go."
But aside from the frontline action, Jack fondly remembers mixing with American soldiers - and trying their exotic foods.
"A banana! Things like that were fantastic," he said.
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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