´óÏó´«Ã½

This story was told to East Ayrshire Library staff at Drongan Library as part of the village’s World War 2 celebration week in October 2005. John Prott served with Ayrshire Yeomanry — a local territorial division - after joining up in 1938 and served with them until 1946

About 6 days after D-Day- 15th June - we landed on beaches and straight away began organising the division for order of battle. We were immediately involved with 3rd Battalion Of Monmouthshire Regiment.

My own job was Forward Observation Post Officer Driver/Operator — driving tanks basically. We were called FOOs for short. FOO officer gets allocated a battalion or a regiment to work with. In the 11th Armoured Division they trained tanks and infantry together which was unusual. First time in battle it didn’t work as the other in the battle weren’t trained with us and didn’t know how we worked.

First real action with the enemy was on a Normandy Ridge near the River Orne and the River Odon. Our 1st job was to expand the bridgehead to allow more troops and support onto the beachhead. It was extremely busy and the enemy planes just had to fly over

Attack started on 25/26th June and we were severely manhandled as we couldn’t work with the 15th Scottish. We took so much for granted from our training that it wasn’t anyone’s fault.

There was a fierce battle at Cheux (we pronounced it Chooks) — luckily I landed in the middle of the Glasgow Highlanders which were well organised and we saved a bit of our face by supporting them. It was a very fierce affair At night a discussion with the higher ups and it was decided that we should remain at the very small bridge we had taken and it was agreed to hang on with Canadians and go straight through the bridge — hari kari style — with the 15th SID and this worked as we got a 5 mile advance. Everything then got concentrated as the Enemy decided to cut us off — they were fierce and well armed we and remained there for 3 days and our general officer got worried. The SS troops — 2nd SS division — tried to cut them off and we were forced to retreat — it was the only time we retreated.

On the last night there I had words with my Major who had an OP further up the hill from me . He had bags of support but our problem was that tiger tanks (German Tanks) could drive straight up as we were weak (Devonshire tanks had been knocked out)

AGRA — Army Group Royal Artillery — were all officers. They suggested to Major Mitchell that they had a unique offer to use the boat Neptune (a monitor ship) lying 15 miles from the coast. It hadn’t been used for years though! The yeomanry map references were being passed to AGRA as well. During the night there was a tremendous noise, 2 explosions, followed by the same thing 2 or 3 minutes later. Some of the guns were firing a thousand rounds a minute. The next morning the area was covered with dead Germans. Four huge crators also existed caused by Neptune’s guns. The next morning assistance came up the flank and we pulled out. We had lost a lot of people and we pulled out and were reorganised.

July 16th moved to a new location — right of where we were — North West of Caen. 18th we fired a barrage from very early morning. Yanks and RAF also bombed and we moved in around 7 am. A village — Bras — was attacked. The plan was that 11th Armoured Division would take the ridge and 7th Armoured division — Desert Rats - to follow. Guards got stuck on the one road in — it wasn’t very tactical — couldn’t get tanks turrets under the bridge! — so we had to blow it up. We spread out and did our attack.

At around 5 pm my tank got hit and was taken prisoner with Captain. Brett — 1 operator dead, one badly hurt, 2nd driver unhurt (but severely shocked). Jack Parrot, my senior operator from Marpel (I think) — was missing — I returned to the tank but he was already dead — a shell had come in the front of the tank. The fumes were burning around my feet — pool petrol was cooking up. And as I was leaving I was assisted to leave by it exploding and I was soon lying on the ground. As I recovered I realised that an SS Sergeant was standing over me — with shiny boots. I was now a POW Brett had been injured on the face badly and he had suffered blast damage to his back. Illes — had shrapnel in his head - from the West Midlands gave me a hand to move Brett as we were moved off. The second driver helped Illes.

As we moved off I saw all the enemy troops. I still remember the corn — 3 feet high — in the field. There was a gate and a house about 20 feet away from the end of the village and we were taken in to a the house. We didn’t have any medical kit and I gave Brett my jacket. Stone stairs took you up to the house and we were put in there and a guard placed outside. There were German snipers outside but from the window I saw a British tank from the A squadron of the 3rd Royal Tank Regiment street fighting. I needed to get his attention as he was involved in street fighting. He finally saw me and I thought he was going to shoot me- he had a browning turreted machine gun. However he seemed to recognised me as an ally and I indicated where the snipers were lying in wait and that he should go around the back and I was trying to get him to understand that there was 4 of us. I think they thought I was alone.

He drew forward, blew the gate to bits and I assume he demolished the 2 Germans. We all helped each other to get out. We ran down the street but the Captain was suffering. We walked smartly but I didn’t know if he would survive. We got to a bend in the road. An old woman dropped down and prayed and he was joking that we weren’t that bad.

A Regimental Aid Post was nearby and I left Brett there. I got a sergeant to help Brett onto a trestle but there was no ambulances. There was a tank with a broken front sprocket but with the help of others it was fixed. The tank was a Crombie (spelling?) and I drove it about 100 yards and then a wireless operator took over and I went to help the Captain.

At the casualty clearing station Brett was taken away but there was a dozen ambulances and we took them back to the RAP station. I was lost and didn’t know what to do and I was a mess — my uniform was all over the place. I walked and ran alternatively when an aeroplane went over, I dived into a hole. When I got out I tried to pull myself together and to remember my axis of advance.

Remembering the axis of advance lead me back to my battery position. I got a cup of tea and then I was taken away to be de-briefed. I updated them on the rest of the team.

I drove tanks until I was demobbed. I was one of the few OP that started on the beaches and ended with the regiment.

John was awarded the Military Medal for his actions in Bras and his heroics were recounted in The Victor comic produced by DC Thomson on the 20th August 1966.
John received a bar to his Military Medal for his actions on the 2nd May 1945 near Lasbeck where, despite severe injuries to himself, he continued to drive his tank for two miles. This action saved the tank and its crew from destruction by anti tank weapons.

© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.