Sandy Cormack: I saw child soldiers crying in fear

As Sandy Cormack’s Royal Marine Commando unit advanced across Europe they witnessed terrified civilians and child soldiers as young as 12, who had been told that Allied troops would killed them.

Having enlisted in 1941, Sandy had served in the Italian campaign and had been prepared to take part in the D-Day Landings. In the end, they were not called upon, but they would go on to play an important role across France, the Netherlands and Germany in pursuing the retreating German Army.

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 haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:

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