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I served in the 15th Scottish Reconnaisance Regiment. Prior to going to Normandy we trained at Scarborough and Felton, Northumberland. Most of our training was on Armoured Cars and Bren Carriers and we frequently did schemes on the moors. We moved to Pontefract Racecourse for a period and used to run round the race course before breakfast. It is the longest Race course in Britain. In May 1944 we moved to Angmering on Sea.

Our A & C Squadrons went ahead of us from Angmering to Gosport and boarded L.C.T (Landing Craft Tanks) bound for Normandy.

I was in B Squadron. We went to Normandy from Tilbury docks on the American Liberty Ship ‘Robert Henry.’ During the Channel crossing a Boxing tournament was arranged. A boxing ring was installed on one of the hatches. We had some good boxers in the Regimant. I was to fight a good friend of mine, Arthur Watkins from Gloucester. Following our fight I collected coins and notes that had been thrown from the American crew and also crew members from a Destroyer which cruised alongside. I suppose not many can say they fought in the middle of the Channel. Our Sgt Holland from Burton on Trent had a very entertaining flight against an American Crew Officer crew member. Sgt Holland was later wounded in Holland. I suppose we were luckier than 43rd RECCE whose ship lay off the Normandy coast for the night. On starting engines next moning a magnetic mine sank it with horrendous loss of lives.

Arthur Watkins and I did plenty of patrols by foot and in Armoured cars and Bren Carriers. Sometimes a patrol of 100 yards was a long way, way out in front and sometimes beyond radio communication. Following the Rhine crossing we frequesntly gave lifts to members of the Prachute Regiment and the Special Air Service members.

15th Scottish were involved in the breakout at Caumont in Normandy. I recollect the sight of the first Lancaster coming through a break in the clouds to drop bombs on Caen and Villiers Bocage. I also remember driving through standing corn and came upon an extremely well camoflagued hedge with well built trenches. Our Sergeant was soon off our Bren Carrier and shot out the glass in the large V type telescope. We extracted 5 German Prisoners, the confrontation between our Bren Gunner Tich Quail, the smallest man in the Regimant, was something to witness, the German throwing his rifle away.

Soon after this incident I was knocked flat on my face with a sniper bullet which hit the rim of my helmet, fortunately it was the tank type and not the rimmed infantry one. We soon learned about the zip of a spandeau Machine Gun and we were then shelled by Moaning Minnie setting the carrier camoflague netting on fire and one piece of shrapnel hit the heel of my boot. Wesoon learned to get below ground. One awful sight was that of a Highland Officer who had stepped on a mine his legs were shredded and was supported by 2 infantry men calling for stretcher bearers. One of my friends Dick Carlyn came by bleeding from a neck wound, his carrier track had been blown off, his Commander Lt Jenkins transferred to our vehicle complaining he had lost his bottle of Whiskey! Soon after this I drove through a hedge only to discover it was a minefield, and remember standing up to reverse out of it.

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