- Contributed by听
- maggie-ann
- People in story:听
- Walter Henry Frederick Hume
- Location of story:听
- Sword Beach. France
- Background to story:听
- Army
- Article ID:听
- A2676224
- Contributed on:听
- 28 May 2004
My Dad died in 1994,but he jotted down his memories of D-Day for the 50th Anniversary,and I would like to recall them now.He was Sapper Walter Hume.
"My memory of D-Day is still very vivid,because we had to spend two whole days on board an LCT.The rough weather had forced the landings to be put back 24hours.
"We got across,but about 400 yards from shore,a shell went into the ship on our side and straight out the other,about ten feet in front of me.
"I was in an armoured bulldozer and positioned to be the first off.Fortunately,two naval ratings,who had gone forward to lower the ramp were uninjured.
"The ramp went down and we got our first view of Sword Beach.Two tanks had been hit and several more couldn't get off the beach because of a very high sand bank.So my first job was to create a ramp for the tanks to get on the coast road.
"This took 20 minutes and then they were away.The next hour or so was spent towing wheeled vehicles onto the coast road and clearing obstacles that Jerry had put there to impede our progress.
Altogether ,it was a never to be forgotten experience"
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