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My father, David Wallis, spoke often of the coincidences that he experienced during the war, the odd little events that either saved his life or reminded him how suddenly it could end.

One such story he recalled was when he was heading to a meeting to go over a plan for an attack later that day. His batman was supposed to have brought his maps and notes but had forgotten them. Instead of going on himself and sending the soldier back, he told the man to wait where he was while my father ran back to get them. When they both eventually arrived at the meeting point they found everyone dead, a shell having landed on the position. He did not remark much on the carnage, just that it was a ‘bloody mess’.

On another occasion he was late for a similar meeting and cut through a part of the Bocage he believed to be safe. It was a sunny day, but the hedgerow had grown overhead enough to almost block out the light and leave it shaded and cool beneath. As he hurried along he became aware that other soldiers lined the hedgerow, German soldiers! They were all dead. He believed a tank must have machine gunned the entire hedge and killed them where they sat, still manning their positions. They were wearing wet weather gear so it must have been raining when it happened. Again all he would say was that they had clearly been dead for a week or two and he ran all the faster to get out of the shadows and make his appointment.

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