大象传媒

Lest we forget

I remember - I remember sixty years ago, when I was an old man of twenty-four. Yes, in fact I was the oldest on our boat.

My story really started in early May on Scotland鈥檚 East Coast. We were up there training Commandos for the invasion of France. I was on a tank landing craft and we knew we would be one of the first to land, as we were in S Force, a strike flotilla. About three times a week we would go out at night and land next morning, always on a receding tide, which was unusual to say the least, as you should, by the book, land on a rising tide, as you then have the chance to float off. We always did sixty miles. We knew this by the log we used to stream over our stern. The log measures how far and how fast you are going.

One day we got up as usual and found the Commandos gone and it was not long before we got sailing orders 鈥� to Portsmouth.

After leaving the Firth of Forth, which was our first refuelling stop, the coxswain took ill, or should I say, he came down to the mess deck after completing his watch and he looked grey. I suggested that if I did his next watch, he could get a good night鈥檚 sleep and may feel better in the morning. He said, 鈥淵ou will have to see the CO first, so I went up to the bridge and explained about the Cox. The CO said, 鈥淚f you can take the wheel you can do it鈥�. I went down to the messdeck and told the Cox it was all right. I then asked the Cox for the medical box key, which he gave to me. I thought I would give him an Aspirin, but when I looked in the box there were no Aspirins. There was, however, a thermometer, which I took down to the messdeck and took the Cox鈥檚 temperature. It was 103 degrees, so I went to report this to the CO. He said, 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 read a thermometer鈥�. So we got the First Lieutenant out of bed to go down to our messdeck, and when he came back he confirmed what I had said. The CO said, 鈥淲e can鈥檛 go back, we have to stay in convoy鈥�. I suggested calling the MO who was on another boat, and we went alongside his boat and he came aboard our boat 鈥� quite a difficult manoeuvre.

I took the MO down to the mess deck and he took charge and he and the sick berth attendant stood watch over the Cox till we got to Grimsby, where he was transferred to hospital. He had cerebrospinal meningitis and we had to go into quarantine for a few days. Then we lost a Motor Mack when he fell into the river at Beaulieu and another lad broke his leg; but they are other stories!

We had orders to leave Beaulieu and proceed to Portsmouth. When we went through the Channel, the Germans put a bit of a show on, shelling us with long-range guns and a few bombers, but our own fighters soon finished them off. We got to Portsmouth intact, and we were told to go and load up, and who should we pick up but the Commandos we had last seen in Scotland. We were now loaded - no tanks, but eighteen lorries full of high explosives; it鈥檚 no use having tanks without ammo.

We each had a letter from HQ telling us how lucky we were to be the first in to liberate Europe. D-day should have taken place on June 5th, but it was cancelled because of bad weather. We had, however, already slipped our buoy when we got the recall. We went alongside our flotilla officer鈥檚 boat and he said we could stay there only if we could put another wire out to hold us. The sea was very rough and I did not fancy that job, as the buoy was only two feet round. The First Lieutenant on the next boat said that if he got hold of my belt with one hand and the guardrail with the other, perhaps I could put the wire through the ring. The boats were crashing together, and I knew that one slip and both of us would be crushed to death, but we did it, and the soldiers on board gave us a great cheer!

Next day we set off again for France, at around 6.00pm in broad daylight. Well, getting out of harbour was bad, but when we did get out, the armada of ships was amazing. You could have walked on ships and craft over to the Isle of Wight. They were all trying to get in position for when we landed. That night I had the last watch, that is, from 8.00pm till midnight. All was quiet. We changed watches, then we were on again from 4.00 am until 8.00 am. All I could see was the small blue light on the craft in front of us, till it got light and then we could see the coast of France and we knew now we would soon be in action. The big battleships at our rear opened fire 鈥� it was like express trains going over our heads, as each shell weighed about a ton. The Germans were now shelling us and we knew we were in the front line. You could not see through the smoke, but onward we went like the Charge of the Light Brigade!

The FO put a flag up ordering us to turn around. Still the shells were falling all around us. Then someone signalled to HQ and two rocket-firing Typhoons came in at mast height and they gave the battery which was shelling us what for; and we were on our way once more. This was about ten miles from the coast of France. Our HQ ship now said 鈥淕ood Luck鈥� to us all as she was going no further. Soon afterwards she was attacked by E-Boats with torpedoes, but she escaped without damage. From here on we were on our own.

I was talking to my loading number, as this was the first time he had been in action and was really scared 鈥� as we all were. 鈥淛ust look at that big chateau on our port side鈥�. Just then there was a mighty roar and one of the battleships let a salvo go. The shells were just over our heads. Looking up we saw there was a big cloud of dust where the chateau had been 鈥� the Germans were using it as an observation platform.

We were now being mortared as well as being shelled. We were approaching land fast now, so we all went to our landing action stations 鈥� mine was to lower the door and be first off and see everything was clear. We were getting ever nearer. We were in line abreast, just as we did when we were training in Scotland. We must have looked an awful sight to the Germans, and frightening. We hit the beach hard and I knew we were stuck. The door was lowered and I was off. There was a dead soldier right in front of the door. He was a Canadian, but I soon pulled him out of the way, as I did not want him to be damaged any more.

The troops on our craft were soon ashore and we had landed them all safely. Up door and away 鈥� not likely, the door came up, but we were high and dry in France till the next tide, which was about 4.00 in the afternoon. Shells were dropping thick and fast, and the odd sniper鈥檚 bullet kept coming our way. There was cold rice pud for dinner, as we had no means of cooking as we made our own power by generator.

I was on deck doing odd jobs such as putting things straight, when a sergeant in the RE comes by and says to me, 鈥淐an you see anything on those two telegraph poles?鈥� I said, 鈥淵es, two big round things鈥�. 鈥淒on鈥檛 touch them, they are mines 鈥� I鈥檒l come and dismantle them!鈥� I got him a ladder, and he came aboard. He was hard at work, throwing wires out of these round things when our CO shouts, 鈥淲hat is that man doing 鈥� send him off. I didn鈥檛 give him permission to come aboard!鈥� I walked up to the bridge where he was, and said to him, 鈥淚 gave him permission, and what he is doing is dismantling two mines we鈥檝e come between鈥�. He soon shut up, as if we had hit either of them I should not have been writing this now!

The tide came in again and I reported aircraft approaching. 鈥淗ow many?鈥� asked the CO. 鈥淗undreds鈥�, I said. We had been expecting to be bombed but we had had only one plane, which dropped a bomb a hundred yards away. The CO could see through his glasses that they were ours, and it was reinforcements for the gliders and paratroops.

Now in the houses just across the road from where we landed, there must have been a troop of German soldiers, as they opened fire on one of our aircraft. I was on my gun, and I put a few rounds through the window where they were. The last I saw of them, they were coming out of the front door with their hands up.

On our way back, it must have been about 2.30 am, I was sound asleep in my hammock. There was a loud bang, and our stern was lifted out of the water. 鈥淎ction Stations!鈥� was shouted and we were all on deck in less than a minute, as we were sleeping with our clothes and boots on. 鈥淎ircraft in sight, Sir!鈥� I yelled again. 鈥淔ire when you are ready1鈥� the CO shouted. I hit a plane and put him on fire. "Aircraft!鈥� I yelled again 鈥� same orders 鈥� and I had this one, or so I thought. The First Lieutenant was jumping up and down and saying, 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got him!鈥� The CO shouted 鈥淐heck, Check, Check!鈥� I threw my arms back and told my loader to change magazines. This aircraft had dropped a reconnaissance flare. It turned out to be one of our night-fighters on the other鈥檚 tail. He went on to shoot down the plane which I had hit. He came back and did a victory roll, and so I was not able to claim that aircraft.

Back to England we sailed, and when we got back to Portsmouth, we got a big cheer from the Dockies. We were soon loaded up again with troops and were back at sea in a few hours and heading for France.

People say this was our longest day, but for us it lasted about three weeks,

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