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Revd T H Lovegrove MC.
Chaplain to the Forces. Baptist.
50th Northumberland Division
6th Battalion, The Green Howards

Dawn, 6th June 1944,

The Battalion landed at H plus 80 minutes.

‘At first light I recall vividly how the sea was full of ship of all kinds and overhead the planes were bombing and the naval bombardment was in progress’..

‘One’s first impression on landing was the narrowness of the Beach. We had to lay flat whilst the Engineers were busy clearing the barbed wire and beach obstacles that impeded movement. On the left of Gold Beach , A Coy were pinned down under the Sea Wall. Whilst on the right D Coy were faced with a Pill Box at the end of a trench within twenty of where they had advanced and were immediately under fire from the Pill Box.

Lovegrove was to see something of the action for which D Company’s CSM Stan Hollis was awarded the Victoria Cross.

‘There was one encounter on the Beach, with a young Lieutenant who was obviously feeling the strain, who said to me ‘Padre it’s all right for you — you’ve got faith, but many of us have nothing and it’s Hell

As the Battalion pushed inland Padre Lovegrove was very much involved with the unit’s Doctor and both had plenty of work to do. By the end of the day he was trying to meet the needs of the various Companies by keeping in touch by travelling between them on a 500cc Norton Motor bike, issued to RSM Dixon who had handed it over very reluctantly.

6th Green Howards casualties on the Day were ninety.

From the Archives of the Museum of Army Chaplaincy.

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