大象传媒

MY DAD NEVER REALLY TALKED ABOUT HIS POST D.DAY EXPERIENCES EXCEPT UNTIL ONE AFTERNOON DURING THE 50 TH ANNIVERSARY ON TV

HE DIED THE YEAR LATER AND MAYBE WANTED TO SHARE HIS EXPERIENCES WITH SOMEONE AS HE KNEW HIS DEATH WAS NOT FAR AWAY.

HE WAS 20 YEARS OLD AND IN THE BRITISH ARMY (I'M NOT TOO SURE OF WHICH REGIMENT BUT I CAN RESEARCH IF NECESSARY)) HIS SHIP WAS OFFSHORE WHEN ANOTHER SHIP SENT OFF A SALVO OF ROCKETS HE SAID THAT HE WAS SO SCARED THAT HE SOILED HIMSELF.

HE SHOULD HAVE GONE INTO NORMANDY WITH THE REST OF THE BRITISH ARMY BUT DUE TO A MISTAKE HIS UNIT WENT IN WITH THE CANADIANS.HE SAID THEY WERE A REAL HARD LOOKING BUNCH WITH MOHICAN
HAIRCUTS. ON THE BEACHES SOMEDAYS LATER
HE WAS UNLOADING ORDNANCE WHEN HE SPOTTED
SOME ENGLISH SAILORS TAKING A BREAK AND PLAYING CRICKET.THE BOWLER WAS LEFT HANDED
BECAUSE OF THIS UNUSUAL METHOD OF BOWLING MY DAD TOOK A CLOSER LOOK AND RECOGNISED THIS SAILOR AS HIS GREAT FRIEND FROM ANCOATS IN MANCHESTER (BOBBY RITCHIE)

BOBBY GAVE MY DAD SOME SAUCE BOTTLES WHICH CONTAINED RUM. LATER MY DAD WAS PUT ON A CHARGE FOR DRINKING IT.

AS THEY ADVANCED INLAND INTO THE BOCAGE THEY CAME ACROSS SOME THE BODIES OF SOME CANADIAN SOLDIERS WHO HAD BEEN HUNG BY THE NECK FROM THE BRANCHES OF TREES BY THE GERMANS.

AS THEY MADE TO CUT THE BODIES DOWN,AN ENGLISH OFFICER APPEARED AND ORDERED THEM TO MOVE ON,AS PHOTOGRAPHS WERE GOING TO BE TAKEN FOR LATER WAR CRIME CHARGES.

LATER ON IN THE DAY HIS UNIT CAME UPON A LARGER NUMBER OF GERMANS HUNG IN THE SAME WAY AS AN ACT OF REPRISAL.

LATER ON THEY WERE SO TIRED THAT WHEN A PLANE CRASHED IN THE NEXT FIELD THAT
THEY DID NOT WAKE UP.

HE WAS IN THE ATTACK ON CAEN WHICH HE SAID WAS 'FLATTENED BY THE YANKS' AND IN THE LIBERATION OF ANTWERP. WHERE HE SAID THAT 'THERE WAS A LOT OF IT ABOUT'
( I'M NOT SURE WHAT HE MEANT BY THAT).

IN BRUSSELS HE WAS BILLETED IN KING LEOPOLDS
PALACE. WHICH WAS CALLED 'TROTTERS RETREAT'
DUE TO THE HIGH NUMBER OF DESERTERS HIDING THERE. SOME OF THESE DESERTERS WERE STAFF OFFICER IMPERSONATORS WHO OFTEN HAD THEIR OWN STAFF-CAR AND BATMEN.

HE WAS IN THE OCCUPATION ARMY AFTER THE WAR,AND SAID THAT THE RUSSIANS WERE LIKE ANIMALS WHO WOULD SHOOT YOU IF YOU TRIED TO SIT ON THEIR CHAIRS IN THE CAFES OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.

FOR A WHILE HE WAS WORKING IN THE KITCHENS AND THE STARVING GERMANS WOULD CRY OUT FOR SCRAPS AT THE DOORS OF THE CAMP-HUTS.
AT RISK OF BEING PUT ON A CHARGE HIMSELF
HE WOULD THROW THEM A POTATO OR PEELINGS WHEN THE GUARDS WERE NOT LOOKING.

MORE THAN 50 YEARS LATER

ON THE DAY OF HIS FUNERAL THERE WAS A KNOCK ON THE FRONT DOOR AND A LITTLE OLD MAN WHOM NONE OF US HAD EVER SEEN BEFORE ASKED IF THIS WAS MY JIMMY DONOHUES FUNERAL. THEN HE DECLARED HIMSELF AS BOBBY RICHIE WHO HAD READ OF MY DADS DEATH IN THE MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS ORBITUARY AND HAD TRACKED HIM DOWN AFTER ALL THE YEARS.
NEEDLESS TO SAY THAT THERE WAS NOT A DRY EYE IN THE ROOM AS WE REMEMBERED THE TWO FRIENDS UNEXPECTED MEETING ALONG TIME AGO ON NORMANDY BEACH IN THE MIDDLE OF A LIVING HELL.

DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF MY FATHER.

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