大象传媒

People in story: Ralph Rayner
Location of story: Various
Unit name: Royal Engineers Works Company
Background to story: Army

I joined the army as a Boy Apprentice at the age of fourteen in July 1939. I was recruited into the Royal Engineers and posted to the Apprentice Training School, Fort Darland Chatham in Kent.

On completion of my training in 1942, at the age of seventeen, I was transferred to the regular army and served with a Royal Engineers Works Company until October 1943, when I was posted to a newly formed Assault Brigade, located in Suffolk. This was the beginning of the formation of Royal Engineer Squadrons to operate in specialised tanks with specialised equipment for the purpose of assaulting enemy positions.

In December 1943 I was at home in Grimsby on ten days leave and was due to return to my unit on the Sunday early in January. On the Saturday evening I went with three of my sisters to the local dance at Scartho Church Hall, which was the most popular dance venue in the area, probably because it was always packed with airmen from Waltham airfield. I was naturally feeling somewhat despondent at having to return to my unit the following day, until I spied a pretty young girl on the opposite side of the hall, I went over and introduced myself, learned that her name was Georgina and asked her for a dance, we had two dances and talked a little during the latter part of the evening. Unfortunately I missed out on the last dance, but when the dance ended I managed to contact her and offered to take her home, I had no idea where home was until we got there but it did entail a bus ride and I then had about a three mile walk home, the last bus had already gone.

I decided at this point not to return to my unit the following day and made a date to see Georgina on the Sunday evening, we agreed to go to the cinema. That evening we exchanged addresses and agreed to keep in touch, I also promised I would be home again for seven days leave the following April. The next day I reported to a local army medical centre and made some excuse that I had been suffering from stomach trouble, I was given a certificate and then caught my train to London, the medical certificate got me off the hook!

From here on our training, with all the new specialised equipment, was very intensive, then in April, the very week I was due to go on leave, we were informed that all leave was cancelled, I felt devastated, I wrote to Georgina and explained and asked her to continue to keep in touch. Later that month we moved down to the south coast, near to Portsmouth and into a tented camp. Here we learned that this move was in preparation for a major operation and at the end of April the camp was sealed for security reasons and nobody was allowed either in or out.

On the 3rd of June we moved down to the harbour area and loaded our tanks and equipment onto the LCTs (Landing Craft Tanks). We were then briefed for 'Operation Overlord' the D Day landings and issued with a sum of French money, the convoy assembled in the Solent and was due to move off on the 4th June. Unfortunately the weather deteriorated and the move was postponed for twenty four hours. It was miserable, cold and very little shelter on the open deck of the landing craft. The following day there was a slight improvement in the weather and the powers that be (Eisenhower) decided the invasion was to go ahead. The convoy sailed at approximately 9pm on the evening of the 5 June, the sea was still running very high causing these flat bottomed craft to roll from side to side, it was just as well the tanks were anchored down.

We were due to land on Gold beach at 7.30am an das dawn broke we could just see the French coast on the horizon and the view of the convoy wa a sight to behold, one that I shall never forget. There were ships and landing craft in all directions as far as we could see, but as we approached closer to the coast the convoy split directions, each group heading for their respective landing beaches. As this manoevuvre progressed, we eventually found ourselves at the front of the column heading for Gold beach. Many of the troops were suffering from sea sickness and lack of sleep due to the pitching of the craft, it was at about this time we were each provided with a very generous tot of 100% Navy Rum.

As the formation moved closer to the coast, the heavy warships, including HMS Warspite, suddenly opened fire as one on a given signal, this bombardement of the French coast continued until just before touchdown when the barrage crept forward to the area beyond the beaches. Combined with the explosion of incoming German artillery shells the noise was deafening and a number of our own craft were hit causing many casualties. On this occasion I was operating an armoured bulldozer and my job on reaching dry land was to immediately join up with a team of Sappers and a unit of Royal Navy Commando divers, our task was to clear all the beach obstacles, most of which contained explosives and were under water at high tide. As my bulldozer crept out of the water two Royal Engineer tanks immediately in front of me were both hit by German shell fire, each simultaneously catching fire, I saw only one survivor jump clear before each tank exploded. On the second day we had the unenvious task of recovering many bodies that were floating in with the tide, most had drowned, unable to keep afloat due to their heavy equipment. In all, we spent five days on the task of clearing the beach obstacles before I moved inland to rejoin my unit.

During the next months my unit was attached to the Canadians who had the task of clearing the Channel ports, then in November I survived another sea-borne landing on Walcheren Island in Holland. In January 1945 I was fortunate to be amongst the first troops to return to the UK on 7 days leave. I was naturally both anxious and apprehensive about meeting Georgina again after having had only one previous date and a year in between, although we had kept in touch by writing to each other as often as possible. In that seven days we were happily able to confirm our love for each other and we eventually married on the 27th April 1946. My happiest memory of the war years was of that 7 days leave in January 1945 and God willing, we shall celebrate our 60th Wedding Anniversary in April 2006. I eventually retired from the army in 1960 after twenty one years service.

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