大象传媒

I was born on 12 November 1924, and was 16 years old when the war broke out. I began by working at the Thomas Adams Bakery in Kingsthorpe and was called up from there. I put in for the Royal Marines and was accepted.

I went to the Depot RM Lympstone in Devon and trained there for 6 weeks. The training was rough. We then on to a 2nd camp (Dawlitz Field camp) and focused on drilling and weapon training.

I was present at the D Day landings, my craft hitting Juno Beach. We could hear bagpipes being played over the noise of battle, piping in the Scots brigades. After 9 weeks in France I was sent back to UK in landing craft. Unfortunately the sea was so rough the American Landing craft with pointed bows couldn鈥檛 land. Even worse, the English landing craft with flat ends were turned over by the heavy seas. Thankfully we were given survival leave after the Landings.

Later I was sent out to India and then on to Burma. I still have my medals from France (France & Germany star) and Burma Star. While in Burma I caught Cholera and nearly died. An American doctor took my temperature and said "Boy, I don鈥檛 know how you鈥檙e still standing there", but I was and survived! When I went down for breakfast, the Americans had everything egg, bacon, sausage 鈥� you name it, it was there 鈥� but I couldn鈥檛 eat a thing. I spent 6 weeks in hospital recovering.

I was sent back to India from Burma and then on to Malaya. The A bomb was dropped while I was stationed there. I remember that trying to land in Malaya (Port Sweatingham) was really difficult as the water was so shallow, and that the landing craft were grounded.

Came back to the UK (via Ceylon and Malta) and was de-mobbed in Plymouth. I still have my certificate of service Ply/x. 111932. My father Pte GE Peach No 33072 of the 9th East Surrey regiment received a hand written note from King George V welcoming him back 鈥� on your release from the miseries and hardships, which you have endured with so much patience and courage鈥� at Buckingham Palace in 1918 for his efforts during WW1.

Once home I remember when they bombed Coventry. The planes returning from Coventry that had not dropped their bombs, disposed of them near Rugby. The bombs shattered windows in Northampton (Glanymor Terrace). Searchlights on Northampton Recreation ground and racecourse had found the planes.

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