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This story was submitted to the People’s War site by a volunteer on behalf of and Richard Sherman and has been added to the site with his permission. Richard Sherman fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.

"At the time that war broke out, I was made to believe that it was my duty to join the armed forces and fight against the Germans. I was 15 years old when I joined the Royal Tank Corps. Being so long, the only experiences of being on the road that I had was riding my bike! So the 3 months of training that I received on how to operate a tank, was difficult. However I worked with dedication because I believed my country was relying on me.
It was just after the British invasion of France in 1944 that we were stationed in Mormot. I was with a squadron of 12 tanks, as well as a battalion of light infantry. The British army, were armed with 75mm tanks. These were powerful machines but they were no match for the German 88mm guns. These were far superior than any I had ever seen before, due to the fact that they were dual purpose. This meant they could be used as anti aircraft guns or on the ground.
During my time in the squadron, it was difficult to get to know anyone too closely. This was because tanks were often brewed up and so there were a lot of deaths in the battalion. The tanks required 5 men to work them in combat and so it was common for us to be re assigned to new groups after a bout of combat. We remained in the roles that we had previously received training for i.e. the driver, co-driver, tank commander and wireless operator. I was trained as a gunner, so it was my responsibility to operate the guns. I didn’t feel that my role was any different from the rest of the boys who I fought with. We were all doing our duty for our country.
I can particularly remember one time in action in Mormot, where we had to advance over a high rise. Our squadron, were aligned and we drove together towards the German target. As we reached the peak the Germans used their 88mm against our advancement. They began at one end of the line and began to systematically gun down each one of our tanks whilst we shot back in defense. At this point all we could think was to ‘Burn the Buggers’ and safe ourselves. One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight………until they reached the ninth tank, where we were already taking action to withdraw. We were in the tenth tank, and so had enough time for our driver to put the gears in reverse. However we paid a high price. We copped a shell in the tracks which meant that applying pressure to the brakes caused them to snap. Even though we suffered damage, we were still able to retreat from the gunners range. We were able to escape from the tank, even though the Germans followed us with sniper fire.
It was horrible to think of the men we had lost to the Germans that day and how they had died. However, life in the squadron was one of routine. So all we could do was get to work on repairing our tank and preparing for the next advancement."

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