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Shortly after D-Day I was not far from Gold Beach serving as a batman with the RAOC 107 Advanced Ordnance. I was attached to a Lieutenant driving him from one place to another and also taking care of his clothing (not that we had the facilities to provide a particularly clean and properly pressed uniform at the time!). The unit was following the 8th Armoured Brigade in the Arromanches area, it was our job to transport and deliver them supplies and tank parts.

One day we were bivving in a field, sharing a bit of rum when we heard the sound of aircraft close-by. Looking up we saw a German plane heading straight towards us with a Spitfire or Hurricane following close behind. Seeing our position the German dove down and strafed the length of the field with his machineguns, forcing us all to take cover. There was a ditch in the field and while I slid into it with a small measure of grace my Lieutenant, who obviously felt the need for a bit more haste, fully dove into it. In doing so he was splashed all over with muck and muddy water, right across his chest and all over his uniform, while I’d come off relatively lightly. As we huddled there in this ditch I looked over to him and couldn’t help but laugh at the state he was in. Obviously the Lieutenant didn’t appreciate this too much, and he looked over to me and shouted ‘Alright for you to laugh, you’re the one who’s got to clear it up!’ I’m not sure but I think a nearby major overheard and wasn’t too impressed, because I never did have to wash that uniform!

Looking back it might seem a bit odd for us to have been laughing moments after having a very close shave with German machineguns, and in fact while we were still in danger, but that was the spirit of the time. You had to just get on with things and find some humour wherever you could!

This story was submitted to the People’s War site by James Barton and has been added to the website on behalf of Edwin Knott with his/her permission and they fully understand the site’s terms and conditions.

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