大象传媒

I was in Lowestoft, the base for the Royal Naval Patrol Service where I was waiting for draft following a gunnery course.

I was walking down the main High St with another sailor towards the Lowestoft Bridge. We'd just come across the bridge and there was a beautiful young lady pushing a pram. I said to the sailor with me - "I'm going to marry that girl!" and he said "you wouldn't stand a chance with her!"

A day or 2 later in the evening I went to a dance at St James'. I was dancing with a young lady whom I'd met before, and she was with the girl I'd seen on the bridge! I eventually got to dance wsith her and found out her name was Doreen Moss and we got on famously! I found out later,that she had said to her friend "I funny like him" (that is Lowestoft speak!) and from there we started going out together.

I was drafted away to a ship (a Harbour Defence Motor Lauch or HDML 1465) just before D-Day and we wrote to each other whilst we were apart.

Whilst I was on the 1465, I piped aboard Admiral Bertram Ramsey who responsible for organising the D-Day landings. We took him round the ships that were ready for the Invasion. Seven days later I was taking part in the D-Day landings at Arramanche, Normandy.

By this time, Doreen and I had arranged to get married on the 23rd December 1944, but being in Normandy we felt we might not make that date. We moved from Normandy up the River Schelt and were based at a place called Terneuzen in Holland.

The skipper told me he couldn't get leave for me to get married and I sent a telegram to that effect to my wife-to-be. The next day, the skipper called for me, told me to pack my bag and get going - I could go and get married. This was on the Thursday before I was due to get married on the Saturday! I sent a second telegram saying everything was back on again!

I had to make my own way to Ghent in Belgium. I started walking, a convoy of lorries came along and I thumbed a lift - the driver of the first lorry said "jump in the last one, Jack." I did so, and a few miles down the road, we were raided by German planes. Bullets flying everywhere - I jumped out and got myself in the ditch until it was over. On resuming my walk an old Dutch man came along on an old motor bike, and took me right into Ghent to the Town Major's Office where I had to report. From here I got a staff car to Ostend, from there I got a dispatch boat to Newhaven.

Doreen by this time was at home in Littlehampton, and I caught the train from Newhaven to Littlehampton. I arrived there on the Friday, and everything had been sorted except the organist! So it all went ahead on the Saturday 23rd December with the Reverend Ashby preciding. There was snow on the ground and we had the reception at home. I had a few days leave before reporting back again to the HDML 1465.

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