大象传媒

Training seemed to go on forever but we were all getting very fit. One day we climbed Ben Nevis (the easy way), like climbing a steep hill. At the top was a mock up of a large window and all we could see beyond it was blue sky, and what appeared to be a sheet drop. We lined up and one at a time had to dive through it, we heard nothing, not even a dying away scream, very scary. When it was my turn I dived through and was grabbed either side by an instructor and a hand was clamped over my mouth so鈥檚 not to yell or let the waiting lads know what to expect. Just another way of getting us to obey an order without hesitation.

The last and most exciting exercise was an opposed night landing across Loch Lochy. At Bunarkaig we boarded our troop landing craft on a dark starless night. As we neared the far shore, all hell was let loose, star shells and flares lit the whole sky up. We were told before hand to keep our heads down as we were going to be fired on with live ammo by Bren guns, machine guns, mortars and grenades. We could see the tracer bullets coming right at us, or so it appeared.

On reaching the beach the ramp went down and we charged, fixed bayonets, yelling our lungs out. The scene was illuminated by verey lights and parachute flares. We could hear orders being shouted in German, Bakelite hand grenades were thrown at us, thunder flashes and demolitions were exploded all around us, it was deafening. One chap was hit in the leg by something and was laying half in and half out of the water yelling like mad. We had to run up an incline then advance up a hill which was being mortared and the smell of cordite and the smoke was very realistic. When we got to the top of the hill everything stopped and the silence was eerie. On D-Day the lessons we learned at Achnacarry stood us in good stead.

We all felt so good now that we were going over the assault course in our own time, I don鈥檛 think I ever felt so fit again and did it just for the hell of it, we were keyed up and ready to 鈥榙o or die鈥�. When the great day arrived and we were formed up to receive our 鈥楪reen Berets鈥�, we all grew to 10鈥� tall, or so it appeared.

We were posted to Wrexham Holding Battalion and given our papers, told to get there within 2 days, no ticket, just get there between hitch hiking, stealing rides on trains and walking. When I got there I was given 2 weeks leave and felt very proud with my Green Beret and Commando shoulder flashes. I reckon I was walking sideways so that everyone could see them. I had a good leave and reported back only to be posted to Hurstpierpoint (Sussex).

Mac was still with me and some of the others we had paled up with at Achnacarry. We were part of 1 Commando Brigade, lead by Lord Lovat, a great Commander. He was shown to be fearless on the raids, Dieppe etc., and always had his piper Bill Millen with him, who played at the drop of a hat. All right if you like bag pipes, I did, and they were a pleasure to march to.

1 Commando Brigade consisted of 3, 4, 6 and 10 Commando, 45 Royal Marine Commando and a protection troop for TAC (Tactical) HQ, which always conducted any action from the front. Last, but we thought most important, the Signal Troop which was mostly spread out with each Commando, a 2-man team, one to work the radio the other as protection.

Most of the Brigade was stationed along the Sussex coast, Seaford, Newhaven, Brighton, Hove, Worthing and Bognor Regis. Rottingdean was used for cliff climbing, and Bognor for beach landings, but we even went as far as the Cornish coast for rougher landings so that we could do it in all conditions.

On June 3rd 1944 we were transported to Warsash near Portsmouth and were shown mock ups of our landing areas. Ours was Sword beach, Leon sur Mere and our job was to join up with 6 Commando, then to cut across 6 miles of enemy occupied country to meet up with and relieve the 6th Airborne at the bridge over the Orne River. This was vital to the allied advance and the Airborne were to drop there by parachute and glider and hold the bridge until we arrived.

We were due to sail on the 5th June but bad weather altered it to the 6th, so we took up the time checking weapons and radios, going over and over our respective jobs on the landing until we had it off by heart.

The East York鈥檚 Regiment was to land just in front of us, clearing the beach to allow for our rapid advance to the Orne River bridge. 4 Commando and the French Commando were to silence the heavy gun battery on the beach, then go on to attack the port of Ouistrehem. 3 Commando and 45 Royal Marine Commando were to get off the beach and advance to capture the strong points and gun emplacements at Merville and Ranville.

We boarded our ships and I could hear and see Bill Millen playing his pipes. What a sight it was, ships as far as the eye could see; it must have been the best-kept secret of the war. Enemy bombers could have had a wonderful time, but there were none to be seen.

As we moved off a great cheer sounded, from us and the troops waiting to embark. We were on our way at last, all that training behind us but what was in front of us, and we hoped the German Army would be in bed when we arrived.

The Airborne had landed at the bridge in the early hours of D-Day and were in control but still fighting enemy troops soon to be reinforced by from Caen. In short 1 Commando Brigades job was to hold the whole left flank of the beachhead, so that the British Second Army could not be cut off and thrown back into the sea.

We arrived off Sword beach at 7am and suddenly the German army awoke, our battleships were banging away at targets inland and soon ships were sinking or on fire, the noise was deafening.

We climbed into our landing craft and on landing we ran out into waist deep water. We carried about 80 pounds in weight on our backs in rucksacks and we were bent forward, impossible to straighten up. Bert George was to carry the radio to start with and I carried my rifle, my 80 pounds and 2 spare batteries. Lord Lovat, his rifle under his arm as if out on a grouse shoot, was marching up the beach, and so was Bill Millen with his pipes playing.

The East York鈥檚 had been mown down by machine gun fire but they had done their job at great cost. We were being fired on by marksmen and got under a wall and dumped our rucksacks, which contained, ammunition, food etc enough for one man for 2 days. These were to be collected later by supply parties. Suddenly we came under intense mortar fire but we didn鈥檛 have time to feel scared, thank heavens for Achnacarry.

Bert and I reversed roles and I took the radio. With 6 Commando we started off for our objective. We met some heavy resistance, but if we came across anything that would delay us too much we radioed to the fighters or battleships and left it to them to deal with, then by-passed it. We had to get to the Airborne and messages coming in showed they were having a hard time. There was a pitched battle going on between le Plein and Ranville. Our paras had dropped and joined 3 Commando in the fight to capture these guns that were shelling the beach.

As we marched on I suddenly got a bang in the back that knocked me into a ditch. A sniper had missed me and ruined the set, but the flash from his rifle was seen and 4 chaps set off to deal with him. We had a despatch rider with us, so we left the set, wrote out a map reference of its location and sent the DR off to signals HQ for another one, which he delivered in fast time.

When we reached the bridge, afterwards named Pegasus Bridge in honour of the Airborne, we ran over it with bullets singing round our ears, with Lord Lovat and Bill Millen in front. The red berets were very pleased to see us; apparently we were 2 minutes late.

Bert and I looked for a nice safe place to set up a radio station. I walked around this house, seemingly empty and came face to face with a young German soldier, my reaction was quicker and I shot him. I felt a bit sick, he was so young but so was I. Shortly we came under fire from a sniper somewhere by the riverbank. He was spotted and called on to surrender but we got fired on as an answer. So few hand grenades were used make things safe. We dug in and some Airborne began to retire under cover of darkness, by now 3 Commando had joined us and then 4 as well.

Bert and I rejoined signals HQ at le Plein. We were in a large field and it was always policy to go round the perimeter rather than across, otherwise enemy planes saw the tracks and you soon had visitors.

Captain Alexander our Commanding Officer, drove his jeep in and stepped out on an 鈥楽鈥� mine, which was an anti personnel mine, filled with ball bearings and buried in the ground. It had green prongs that mixed in with the grass, when trodden on it sprang up about 8 feet spraying its contents. Unfortunately Captain Alexander took the full force in his face. We thought he was dead but was delighted to meet him at the first reunion in 1946, although his face was badly scarred.

Mac and I were sent to join Brigade HQ at Bernard鈥檚 Farm, owned by a chap named Saltier. His son was a member of the resistance. There we suffered a bad blow when a shell badly wounded Lord Lovat. Major Mills Roberts, leader of 6 Commando was called in to take over command of the Brigade. He was a front leading officer, ex Irish Guards, and before being evacuated Lord Lovat told him 鈥渘ot one step back鈥�.

The troops had a good way of repelling the enemy; we would wait, well camouflaged, until they were about 12 feet away, then open fire. We never wore steel helmets, so the Jerries learned to have a healthy respect for the Green Berets. Hitler issued an order that all Commandos were to be executed and not taken prisoner, although few German Officer鈥檚 obeyed this order except SS and Gestapo.

We had by now had little sleep for a week; the Germans kept up a continual attack, often infiltrating our lines at night, so we had to be on the alert 24 hours. When I hear how troops engaged in the Falklands and Iraq were compensated for stress I wonder why we never thought of it, too busy I expect.

In one action alone 4 Commando lost all its officers and a Sergeant took command. Our radios were in use continuously, using plain language, no time for cipher. Radio operators were marked men but we had a good protection troop, and as long as we kept our heads down we survived. We had 8 wounded and 1 dead. On D-Day signalman Macgregor marched 4 miles with 5 machine gun bullets in his back. None had hit a vital organ and he was awarded the Military Medal.

The village of Breville was captured by a combined effort or Airborne and Commando, the latter doing a bayonet charge. The Commando鈥檚 initial job was to land, form a bridgehead for the 2nd Army and retire. It became obvious that this wasn鈥檛 going to happen and we carried on as front line troops. By now the Brigade had lost 200 officers and men, far less than the rest of the army. Just showed that our tough training paid off, and we hadn鈥檛 given up an inch of ground.

I like everyone else managed to snatch sleep here and there, despite continual explosions and alarms. Having the radio we were able to tune into the 大象传媒 and give the blokes a bulletin and let them know things were going well on all fronts. The French Commando had captured Ouistrehem and a man made harbour had been towed across the channel, so supplies were coming in. In the lull of the fighting a lorry would dash in, dump dixies full of hot food and dash out again. We were always expected to shave and wash once a day at least.

At night you might hear a voice calling out in pain, perfect English, but we knew it was a trap to get us out there as sitting ducks for their snipers. A trick we had was to send about 3 troops of Commando at night behind the enemy lines and wait. Then a light would go up and the troops facing the enemy would start firing, getting their undivided attention. At a given signal, they would stop and the troops behind the Germans would open fire. One night we took 300 prisoners with no loss on our side.

We had support from the navy and the RAF and Yankee Tornado鈥檚 from the start but now our field artillery were established and we had an officer spotter attached to us. Any enemy guns or tanks giving us trouble were soon dealt with and we had a detachment of the 7th armoured brigade near us, 7 Cromwell tanks, not as good as the Jerry Panzer鈥檚 but a comfort. Sometimes our own shells fell amongst us, this was known as 鈥榝riendly fire鈥�, they only had to be a couple of degrees out or we鈥檇 moved too far forward.

The Germans were continually counter attacking but 1 Brigade was very well trained, superbly led and highly disciplined. The enemy were very good soldiers, especially the SS, but no enemy can keep on sending troops to attack and have none come back. We held our position until relieved at a loss of 180 wounded and 112 killed, too many but considering the strength of the force we were holding back not as bad as expected.

I never got used to seeing our dead, lying with their green berets over their faces, waiting for the burial party. When we spotted the Padre coming for burial parties, we tried to blend in with the scenery. We often saw our medics and their German counterparts working together on the wounded.

By now the British and Yanks were streaming out of the beachhead, the Falaise Gap had closed and the whole German 7th army was no more. 1 Brigade was ordered to attack and hold the high ground east of Dives. Mills Roberts decided we would start off at 11pm, we moved off mostly on foot as we hadn鈥檛 got much transport. 4 Commando were the first to go, followed by 6 then 45 Royal Marine Commando, then 3 Commando in the rear in case of a rear attack. We were always prepared and left nothing to chance.

A difficult route was chosen, so that the chance of surprise would be decreased. It was an exceptionally dark night, so the leaders laid a white tape to follow. Surprise was complete and the first the enemy knew of the attack was when their sentry was shot outside their HQ, it was a rout, especially considering that the whole Brigade at one time crossed a bridge covered by a machine gun post less than 150 years away.

The Brigade was firmly established and during the day beat off four fierce counter attacks. We all considered that our night march across no mans land, about 3000 of us, was one of the great achievements of the Normandy campaign, particularly with no loss of life.

By the 31st July we were in Bois de Bavent and the 22nd August in Angreville, then the 25th August in Quetteville, there was no stopping us. The remains of the German army were in full flight on all fronts. Their communications cut to ribbons, their fuel dumps destroyed by the allied air forces in control of the skies.

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