Acampaign has been launched to get a D-Day single to number one after the unlikely success of a 90-year-old veteran’s song.

Jim Radford’s haunting ballad The Shores Of Normandy is inspired by his memories of comrades who “stormed the gates of hell” on June 6, 1944.

Following its release two weeks ago, the folk song briefly stormed ahead of Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber’s joint single I Don’t Care on Amazon’s music chart.

Mr Radford, who is donating profits towards a sculpture honouring those who “died upon that blood-soaked sand”, said reaching the top spot was beyond his “wildest dreams”.

Now, backed by the likes of BBC presenter Jeremy Vine, Nationwide Bank and The Normandy Memorial Trust, he hopes to hit number one on the official UK singles chart on the 75th anniversary of D-Day.

“I don’t follow pop music much,” said Mr Radford, who was born in Hull and now lives in Lewisham, southeast London.

“These stars like this Bieber, I’m not sure I’d recognise his songs. He probably doesn’t listen to me.”

Jim Radford in 1946 CREDIT: Getty

The veteran said writing the song was “very hard” because “it meant reliving very harrowing experiences”.

“I hadn’t realised that, without knowing how I’d done it, I’d managed to convey that emotional impact to other people,” he added.

“I was very surprised that large numbers of people had contacted me to say they had been moved by it.”

Money raised by the single will go towards a memorial to the 22,442 men and women under British command who died during the Allied landings and the Battle of Normandy.

Aged just 15 at the time, Mr Radford served as a galley boy on a merchant navy ship called Empire Larch and remains the youngest-known veteran.

The ship’s crew helped to build the Mulberry harbour off Gold Beach, allowing the Royal Navy to transport troops, vehicles and supplies for the landing.

Scarred by his memories of the D-Day battle, Mr Radford said: “There were thousands of guns firing… thousands.

“Every ship, all those 7,000 ships were firing, bombarding and there was flak coming back still.

“Gold Beach was a terrible sight. It was piled high with equipment and burning landing craft but as we got closer you could see a lot of bodies.

“Dead and wounded men. On the sand and in the water.

“It was fairly clear to us all we were in a nightmare situation.”

Mr Radford wrote the song after an emotional return to Arromanches-les-Baines in Normandy in 1969.

After performing it for decades, including a memorable Royal Albert Hall show in 2014, the father-of-three recorded a new version to raise funds for a memorial in Ver-sur-Mer.

The Normandy Memorial Trust, which hopes to build the monument, has helped Mr Radford to promote the single and gather support on social media.

On Wednesday the group’s official account tweeted: “With one week to go to #DDay75, let’s get 90-year-old veteran Jim Radford’s single to No.1!”

Last week Jeremy Vine told his Twitter followers he had bought the single after hosting Mr Radford on his BBC Radio 2 show.

Nationwide Bank also lent their support to his campaign, tweeting: “We’re supporting the @normandymtrust raise funds to build a British memorial – you can download ‘The Shores of Normandy’ single by veteran Jim Radford.”

Mr Radford said: “We want people to remember all those good men. All those young men. Boys really not much older than I was, lots of 18 year olds. They deserve to be honoured and remembered.

“A way to honour and remember them is to take this commitment and make sure that it never happens again. For that we need a focal point.

“Just as we need the Cenotaph, we need a memorial in France.”

It is available to buy from online stores and the Normandy Memorial Trust’s website.

Normandy Memorial Trust Secretary Nicholas Witchell said: ” ‘The Shores of Normandy’ is a compelling performance from a man who witnessed D-Day at close quarters.

It is impossible not to be moved by it. The lyrics serve as a reminder to us all of what we owe to those who took part in the landings and especially to those who never came home.

“We are deeply touched that Jim should re-record his song in support of the British Normandy Memorial.”