大象传媒

Introduction

This article is submitted on behalf of a number of members of the Normandy Veterans Association (West Cumbria Branch No 51). Several members of the Branch have kindly assisted me with information about the Battle of Normandy over a number of years. I am pleased to acknowledge this assistance.

The information in this article was given to me in 1999 which I first used for a university project. Members from the Branch have agreed that the information provided could be released, donated to an Archives and read by others if they wished. The terms of 鈥淭he People鈥檚 War鈥� website have been read and understood.

Reflections about the war by Normandy Veterans

1. Guardsman Brian. J. Scott, Grenadier Guards, Guards Armoured Division.
Brian landed in Normandy at 12:00h on D+23, 29 June 1944, at 鈥楪old Beach鈥�.
Brian said:

`鈥淚 think the crossing to Normandy took about six hours. We landed at 12:00h on 26 June 1944 in the area of what had been 鈥楪old Beach鈥� initially. During the crossing we played 鈥楶ontoon鈥�. We went to Bayeux, Caen, Vire and Vassey, St. Charles-le-Percy, Cagny and Caumont.

After the 鈥渂reak-out鈥�, our tank was acting in a liaison role, the first tank into many villages, and telling the Resistance fighters to hold their prisoners until M.P.鈥檚 came along to cage them 鈥� not always carried out!鈥�

鈥淚t was odd seeing shops in Bayeux full of butter, cheese, etc. which was severely rationed in Britain. They had no paper and wrapped it in cabbage leaves.鈥�

Brian used to live at Seascale, Cumbria and is now enjoying retirement in Blackpool, Lancashire. He still keeps in touch with his comrades in the Normandy Veterans.

2. Trooper Jack Farrell, 鈥楤 Squadron鈥� East Riding Yeomanry, Royal Armoured Corps.
Jack landed in Normandy at just after 14.00h, D-Day, 6 June 1944 at Luc-sur-mer, 鈥橲word Beach鈥�.
Jack said:

鈥淲e had lots of contact with civilians in Normandy. We often traded canned food for fresh food with them. I have visited Normandy once since the War 鈥� to Caen and around that area.

We were very lucky in many instances to come out of it alive. Our tank was actually hit a few times, without any of the crew being wounded. On one occasion, our crew commander, who was a Sgt. Tom Horne, got a shrapnel wound to the face and was sent back to 鈥楤lighty鈥�.

When the East Riding Yeomanry was disbanded at the end of the War, each member received a book called 鈥楨urope Revisited鈥�. It is a record of the Regiment鈥檚 exploits leading up to and including the campaign. It is very interesting.鈥�

It was chaotic for about five weeks. People were shooting at each other because they didn鈥檛 know where the front was.鈥�

Jack retired in 1988. He still lives in his hometown of Cleator Moor, Cumbria.

3. Gunner James Jolly, 68 Light Anti Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery.
Jim landed in Normandy at 10:00h, D+20, 26 June 1944 at Arromanches(鈥楪old Beach鈥�)
Jim said:

鈥淲e left from Canning Town docks, River Thames, London, and landed at 鈥楪old Beach鈥� near Arromanches. During the crossing, I was hoping that the ship was not bombed, shelled, or mined before landing.

I was a gunner, driver and wireless operator. I was a qualified Wireless Operator with the Royal Artillery 鈥� 鈥楤OFORS鈥� Light Ack Ack 鈥� but due to the absence of the 鈥楲uftwaffe鈥�, the ammunition was changed to armour-piercing shells and we became anti-tank guns. We were then transferred to field guns, 25-pounders and were trapped in the 鈥楩alaise Gap鈥�.

I then contracted yellow jaundice, and was flown to Brussels in December 1944. On my return to the Regiment, we were shipped back to the U.K. 鈥� Woburn Abbey, Worksop 鈥� where training took place on two 鈥榮uper-heavy (155 mm) guns and returned to De Panne, Belgium where the guns were turned to fire on Dunkirk. The town was held by the Germans until the end of the war.

When the war finished I volunteered for the Military Police for the rest of my service until my discharge, 8 February 1947. I applied for the civilian police, but without success.鈥�

Our association, the Normandy Veterans, along with the British Legion, is trying to relate to the younger generations. It is important that no one ever forgets. They should know of the sacrifices made in these two World Wars, particularly the First, because that was a savage war.鈥�

Jim is originally from Billericay, Essex. He retired in 1987 and lives in Cleator Moor, Cumbria. Jim has been Secretary of the West Cumbria Branch of the Normandy Veterans since 1989.

4. Driver Pat Kelly, 173 Armoured Division Company, Royal Army Service Corps, 11th Armoured Division.
Pat landed in Normandy on D+11, 17 June 1944 at 鈥楯uno Beach鈥�
Pat said:

鈥淲e were just glad to get over there because we had been waiting so long. We landed on Juno Beach and I was driving a three-ton ammunition lorry. I was glad to get rid of it.鈥�

Pat retired in 1984. He still lives in his hometown of Whitehaven, Cumbria. Pat has been Treasurer of the West Cumbria Branch of the Normandy Veterans since 1989.

5. Private Jim Tweedie of Whitehaven, East Yorkshire Regiment, 3rd British Infantry Division.
Jim landed on D-Day, 6 June 1944 at 鈥楽word Beach鈥�.
Jim said:

鈥淚t was an experience and an honour to be there and it is something that no one should be allowed to forget.鈥�

Jim has been retired for a number of years and lives in Whitehaven, Cumbria.
Jim鈥檚 best friend in the East Yorkshire Regiment, 4546584 Private Peter Scholes was killed in Normandy shortly after landing on D-Day. In June 2004 Jim was able to visit Peter鈥檚 grave at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery at Ranville while visiting the area during the official 60th Anniversary commemorations of the Normandy landings.

6. Marine Alan Aitkenhead, Royal Marine Commandos.
Alan landed in Normandy on D-Day, 6 June 1944 at 鈥楽word Beach鈥�
Alan said:

鈥淲e received the order to be among the first wave of troops for the assault on 鈥楽word Beach鈥�. It was to begin early in the morning, a little after 07:00h鈥楬-Hour鈥�.

Our holding camp was at Cowplain near to Southampton in Hampshire. On the night of 5 June we were on board an L.C.T. (NB - 鈥楲anding Craft, Tank鈥�). The crossing took about 8 hours. I was thinking about things that were going to happen, the future and survival!

I had the good fortune to survive Normandy. After France I went on to assist in the campaigns in Belgium, Holland and eventually Germany. It was a great honour to take part and they were great fellows to be with.鈥�

Alan has been retired for a number of years. He lives in Gosforth, near Seascale in Cumbria.

7. Private Tom Bryan, 8th Irish Battalion, King鈥檚 Regiment, Liverpool.
Tom landed in Normandy on D-Day, 6 June 1944 at Graye-sur-mer, 鈥橨uno Beach鈥�
Tom said:

鈥淲e stayed in a tented camp in Dorset. I think it was the 2nd or the 3rd of June we must have learnt about the D-Day Landings. In our case we landed on what was 鈥楯uno Beach鈥� at Graye-sur-Mer.

I think the Channel crossing took close to 20 hours in our case. Like many others, we were trying to avoid being seasick! Some of the other troops were on board their vessels for two or three days. A lot of them suffered seasickness.鈥�

Tom sadly passed away in 2004. He came from Maryport, Cumbria.

Conclusion

It has been a great honour to submit this article on behalf of these members of the West Cumbria Branch of the Normandy Veterans. I would like to thank all of them for sharing some of their personal memories. Their story should be told and more importantly remembered.

Members, family, friends and supporters of the West Cumbria Branch of the Normandy Veterans have made a number of visits to Normandy in recent years. The Branch had a pilgrimage to Normandy in 1999 just before the reminisces written above were given to me.

However, the most notable pilgrimage in recent years for Branch members occurred in 2004 when they were based in Bayeux, which had been the first sizeable French city liberated in 1944. Many veterans hold fond memories of Bayeux and its citizens from 1944. They now hold even fonder memories of the special welcome and kindness shown to them in June 2004. This included a ceremony hosted at Bayeux Town Hall (H么tel de Ville) hosted by the Mayor of Bayeux, Monsieur Patrick Gomont.

As well as telling their own personal stories, Veterans regularly tell me it is important to remember the stories of their comrades who died during the war. Members of the Normandy Veterans Association regularly commemorate their fallen comrades and continually reaffirm that their sacrifice was not in vain. I dedicate this article to the memory of those who died during the Battle of Normandy, the Veterans of the Normandy campaign and the friendly citizens of Bayeux.

鈥淣鈥檕ubliez jamais鈥� (鈥淣ever forget鈥�)

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