大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Kat Pearson, a volunteer from CSV Action Desk on behalf of Ronald Truscott and has been added to the site with his permission. Mr Truscott fully understands the sites terms and conditions.

The angry waters of the English Channel were very rough indeed. Most of the conscripted soldiers carried by the Landing Craft Infantry (LCI) were suffering from sea-sickness. Most of the soldiers of my platoon, came from the coal mining regions of Northern England, and given the present hostile situations would rather have been down the pits than where they presently were. They were also very naturally concerned about their reception when they landed on heavily defended shores.
Prior to making for the shore all the landing craft manoeuvred into the convoys some way out at sea, away from the range of small arms fire. During this time some of the soldiers tried unsucessfully to sleep, some wrote letters to their loved ones, some smoked and the less worried types played cards.
Little did the participants realise that they were making history. They were honourable members of the greatest liberating force ever assembld to free the enslaved European population that for some years had suffered under the Nazi jackboot lead by the monster dictator Adolf Hitler and his military junta.
For three long years Great Britain stood as the only defender of democracy in Europe frustrating Hitler's plans for European Domination.
I, Ronald John Truscott, was a regular soldier, and at the age of 21 years had reached the giddy heights of sergeant in the Royal Engineers. I had been a training instructor for three years teaching recruits on engineering tasks includig bridge building and mine laying and clearing. Field Engineering instead of Civil Engineering.
The time had now come to stop training and put that training into practice, which would put the efficacy of that training to the test. I was posted to a field company whose conscripted soldiers were ex-miners. A great deal of re-training was necessary to make the platoon fit for what ever may come. This was done.
The platoon was detailed to clear the beaches ahead of the infantry assult. The whistle of bullets from small arms fire and the explosions seemed to get louder and ever personal. Mortar shells exploding in the water near the landing craft sent showers of very cold spray into the craft and gave a taste of what was to come.
The landing craft containing myself and the platoon ran ashore and the huge metal nose ramp dropped with a crash, but not on dry ground, but some way out which meant that we disembarking soldiers had to wade ashore waist deep in the ever moving freezing water which ebbed and flowed with the tide.
The platoon members held their equipment high above their heads when wading ashore. The beach was covered in shingles and the mortar rounds that landed not only fragmented into small deadly pieces but threw up pieces of shingle which was just as deadly.
Despite the very cold water, the shelling and the small arms fire we all reached the shore safely and the platoon members were detailed to sweep the beach for mines or any other explosive devices.
Whilst the soldiers carried out this task which required a great deal of concentration, because clearing mines is a dangerous occupation, but with the knowledge that the training they had received stood them in good stead they confidently did their duty and the hostile environment was temporally forgotten.

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