D-Day: When Bill Went to War

Available for over a year

Bill Eames from Enniskillen recalls his flight into enemy territory in the early hours of 6th June 1944. Bill always dreamed of joining the war effort as a boy at Portora Royal School in Enniskillen, sketching planes on his school books. Just a few years later he joined the RAF and took part in the Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944 that marked the beginning of the end for Hitler’s forces. Flt.Lt. Eames towed a glider carrying the troops that would capture Pegasus Bridge – a key military target for the Allies. Later in September 1944, Bill took part in Operation Market Garden, an ill-fated Allied attempt to secure the Rhine crossing at Arnhem. On the third day Bill’s plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire from the ground and he was severely injured. Originally broadcast to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day in 2019, Bill recalls the tranquil waters of Lough Erne that formed the landscape of his youth and reflects on his long military career, his key role on the morning of D-Day, the friends he lost along the way and the injuries that nearly took his life. This programme was first broadcast in 2019, and Bill passed away in November 2020. Produced by Conor McKay