D-Day veteran praised by viewers after shedding tears on Good Morning Britain

A D-Day veteran was praised by viewers after he broke down in tears on Good Morning Britain remembering those who “never made it out”.

Ted Cordery, who was conscripted at the age of 18, served on HMS Belfast between 1943 to 1944 as a Leading Seaman Torpedoman.

Discussing D-Day, he spoke of “the wounds, terrible, terrible wounds and most of them never, ever made it out.

“They were taken to the sick bays and most of them died,” he said.

“But it annoys me all these films, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang about war and they never see the reasons for the war.

“I’m sorry,” he said of his tears.

Cordery told presenters Kate Garraway and Charlotte Hawkins: “There’s nothing I can do to help anybody but I see these graves.

“It brings home to me the terrible consequences of war and the loss of loved ones.”

And he said: “I could not believe what I was seeing. My own men.”

Denying he was a hero, he told the ITV show: “I was there to do a job. I did the job to the best of my ability… Thousands of others risked their lives.”

A chartered ship will carry D-Day veterans across the Channel in June.

Cordery said: “I’m looking forward to it…  We can discuss it. Just the general community spirit.”

Viewers were moved after Cordery shared his memories.

Paul Fenton wrote on Twitter: “Ted Cordery. Thank you for everything you have done, listening to you this morning broke my heart. A true hero in my eyes.”

@Miss_NatashaL wrote: “Ted Cordery made me cry this morning, what a beautiful old fella.”

@eryn11175 wrote: “Literally crying listening to Ted Cordery talking about D-Day. Bless him.”

Cordery was later told that he was trending on Twitter.

“I don’t know whether that’s good or bad,” he said.