Jim Miller

Jim was called up during WW2 at 19 years old. He had hoped to have joined the air force but failed the hearing test, so elected to enrol in the army instead. Jim served in the 11th Hussars, and was drafted into the armoured corps to become a driver/wireless operator in armoured cars.

Jim arrived in Normandy on D-Day +3 (9th June 1944) after arriving in the hold of an American ship. Jim recalls miles and miles of armoured vehicles queuing in Portsmouth and people coming out of their houses to offer the troops tea. He says “in the run up to D-Day it was almost pandemonium with brass hats running around! Us guys in the 11th Hussars were waiting until one day they put the armoured cars in the hold of an American ship and sailed through the night with us guys sleeping on deck.” Jim arrived on Juno beach to the harbours already built and describes seeing nothing but beach and countryside, saying “the fireworks were over by the time I arrived”.

Jim ended up meeting his wife in Berlin when he was serving there during the liberation and travelled all over the world with his job as a furrier, but has now settled in South Wales with his family. Jim was fortunate enough to have been personally presented with his 100th birthday card from His Majesty the King at Buckingham Palace just days before attending the Royal British Legion’s commemorative event for the 80th anniversary of D-Day at the National Memorial Arboretum.