大象传媒

I was on board H.M.S. Cockatrice, an Algerine Minesweeper. On 5th June at 10am were left the Solent to clear the area of nearby sea nicknamed 'Picadilly Circus'. This was where the invasion force was to wait until being ordered to sail. The next day (D-Day) we lead the flotilla as we headed for our landing site, 'Gold Beach'. We had been told to expect heavy German bombardment, Admiral Ramsey had said that the first boats probably wouldn't stand a chance, but the only noise we heard on the crossing was our own planes flying overhead. The Germans didn't know we had arrived until our heavy guns opened fire. Once we had cleared the way for the invasion force our boats were ordered to put up a smokescreen around some of the battleships that were sitting of the coast fireing on the Germans. We spent the next few weeks escorting other boats across the channel and we also escorted the boats laying the 'Pluto' fuel line. I was never scared at the time. Maybe it was because I was only 19, but we never believed we'd get hit. After the war former sailors from the minesweepers formed a society called The Algerines, named after the boats we were on. Our founder member, Jack Williams, wrote a book called 'They Lead the Way', which told the story of the D-Day minesweepers.I am now one of the three surviving members.

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