- Contributed by听
- gallantraymond
- People in story:听
- Mr Raymond Foster
- Location of story:听
- France
- Background to story:听
- Army
- Article ID:听
- A2712764
- Contributed on:听
- 06 June 2004
My dad was a bren gunner and came from Sheffield, he landed in France on D-day plus seven without incident on sword blue beach, whilst advancing down a country lane in two columns, one either side of the lane with the point man at the head of each column looking diagonally across to the other side of the lane into the bushes and hedgerows for the enemy my dad saw two german soldiers he fired his gun at these soldiers and as it was very difficult to see if there were any other german soldiers there he kept firing in the general area until his clip was empty, he had in fact killed three german soldiers, but his captain said he had wasted amunition and put him on a charge!! He had to face his commanding officer the following day where he was told to try to not use so many bullets just to kill three soldiers and told to rejoin his unit.
He lost two munitions men during the war, one as they were walking across a field, he heard what sounded like a smack and when he turned his munitions man had been shot in the head by a sniper.
At one point his unit did not get a relief for two weeks and slept where ever they could when ever they could, when they were relieved they went to an area where all their clothes were taken and cleaned of lice, they were fed very well and given a bed where he slept for 18 hours!!
He was briefly taken prisoner when during a german counter attack an explosion caused part of a wall to fall on him by the time he struggled free the germans had retaken the area, he was a prisoner for only two days when as the allies advanced the guards just went and left them, during his two days all he was given was water so his first job when he was free was to go to the resupply area to rearm but his first priority was to find the mess tent. He is unfortunately dead now but his wife, my mother is still living.
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