Veterans interview – Harry Billinge (UK) – Normandy
Veteran Harry Billinge recalls Normandy with humility, clarity, enduring purpose.
In the interview, he speaks softly yet firmly about duty, fear, and comradeship. Landing on Gold Beach, he remembers chaos, noise, and the weight of responsibility carried by young men. He rejects glory, focusing instead on survival and teamwork. Billinge emphasizes preparation, discipline, and listening to orders, crediting training for saving lives. He honors friends who never returned, naming them so they are not forgotten. Asked about modern Britain, he urges kindness, fairness, and care for veterans, especially housing and dignity. He believes remembrance must be practical, not performative. Schools should teach history honestly, without myths, while communities should look after one another. His tone is calm, not angry, hopeful rather than bitter. He praises reconciliation with former enemies and values peace earned through effort. The message he leaves is simple: ordinary people can do extraordinary things when guided by purpose. He asks younger generations to vote, volunteer, and respect difference. Normandy, he says, was about protecting tomorrow. That responsibility continues, quietly, every day. He reminds viewers that memory demands action, empathy, and steady commitment, linking past sacrifice to present choices, civic duty, and shared humanity across generations everywhere today.
