大象传媒

This story has been added to the People's War website by Marie on behalf of Chris Moody and his late father. Chris fully understands the sites terms and conditions.

The following are part of letters that L.Sgt Moody sent home from the Front

11272762 Sgt. Moody C.E. Att. H.Q. Sec. 1034 Port Operating Company. R. E. B.W.E.F.

13 July 1944

Impressions No. 2
I do not think I can give you a true picture by recording a chronological series of events since my last bulletin, as the main fighting has passed beyond us, and one day is very often like another, Sundays included, except that in the latter case there seems a slightly different atmosphere that is hard to define, and in the afternoon civilians of all types appear dressed in their best clothes, many carrying flowers to put on the communal graves of the soldiers who fell in the first few days, in the small cemetery that adjoins our Beach Office.

First then the Beach Office, in a spot removed about two miles from the main body of the Company, the staff of which with a few personnel for other purposes, form a congenial party, and we sleep, feed, argue and work in or around its precincts. The office itself is dug in the sandy soil and reinforced by sandbags, the roof being corrugated iron covered with a tarpaulin. It has withstood a few shocks and all sorts of weather and is really a good well equipped place. Our bivouacs are adjacent and consist of holes in the ground large enough for one or two persons, with sides and roofs of scrounged timber, and boxes to keep your kit in, really quite comfortable when you get used to it. Some sleep in the underground passages of a German mortar pit we found here, quite a substantial job when we found it, mortar and ammunition all intact and not a round fired, indicating the hurry in which it was evacuated, as it could have been a most awkward weapon to silence. We are within a hundred yards of the sea and can observe the large array of ships always lying off, coasters, cruisers, battleships and craft of all types. It must have been a pleasant spot in peacetime with excellent bathing. German planes pay us nightly visits, and the AA is terrific, but it was in the early days we got most scares.

I remember on D+1 at midnight, I had just returned from lying under that dukw whilst 'Jerry' blitzed the beach, when following desultory small arms fire, we were ordered to stand to, as the enemy was only 300 yards away. We all took up positions and I flopped in some long grass on my stomach, but having no rifle owing to losing it prior to landing in the mine incident, wondered what I would do if things got sticky, and altogether was feeling far from comfortable. It soon transpired however, that it was only snipers in a nearby church, and in the morning we saw a wonderful exhibition of shooting when round after round from a tank, was pumped into the steeple to blast out the occupants. The church is very much knocked about from outside appearance, but inside there is no sign of rubble, all appointments are clean and polished, and an atmosphere prevails of a world far removed from war.

The Navy's contribution to the bombardment of the German defences was an every day occurrence, and we soon took little notice of the tremendous reports of the guns or sound of shells rushing through the air, as one or other of the ships lying off opened out, but about three weeks after our settling in, four of us were having a hand of solo about eight in the evening during one of out rare quiet spells, when we heard the whistling of shells followed by an explosion not far off. The first few salvoes had something different about them, and on investigation discovered that 'Jerry' was shelling us with a long range gun. This was far from pleasant, but it did not last long, and touchwood, has not occurred since.

Other than our indoor clerical duties, which concern the discharge of the coasters our Company are doing, it is sometimes necessary to pay a visit to the vessels. This is no trouble when they are high and dry on the beach, but mostly they are anchored off shore and then you get a dukw for conveyance to her. Here the problem arises how to get aboard, especially when there is a swell, and although it is no doubt easy to a sailor, it is somewhat nerve wracking to a landlubber with army boots on, judging the right moment to step off a dukw to a rope ladder or scrambling net, and then proceeding aloft to clamber over the side. The same applies to the return journey, when just as you are about to leave the ladder you find the dukw not there, and you hang on grimly and hope for the best next time.

The most heartening and impressive sight I have witnessed, was at 10 o'clock on the evening of the 7th July, prior to the final battle for Caen, a great armada of Lancasters and Halifaxes passed overhead at no more than 3500 feet, to bomb objectives not far away. The A.A at first was terrific, but soon very spasmodic, but the giant planes took no notice of it and went straight on, did their job and returned. It says much for our air supremacy that no German fighters were apparent, though we saw one of our planes crash into the sea on its return, but the crew had baled out. Following this the artillery barrage started, and although we had got used to even this at a distance, this effort surpassed all previous barrages and was off and on for about 18 hours, the din at times being terrific, and I was glad I was not at the receiving end.

In contrast to the above was a simple but impressive service held in the local cemetery adjoining our piece of ground, on a Sunday afternoon recently, when the place was dedicated to those buried therein. It is only small, but it is now filled and contains Canadians, British tommies, marines, sailors and even a few German soldiers. White crosses have now appeared, and civilians keep it well supplied with flowers, and it is surprising how many visitors there are to it.

We had a welcome break the other evening for an hour or so, when a Concert Party sent out by the War Office, not ENSA, entertained the the troops in a rather ramshackle hall in the village. It was excellent entertainment, though obvious the artists had been working very hard with almost continuous performances, but their efforts were much appreciated by all.

The chaps discharging these coasters are having long and hard days of work and are doing a grand job in getting the stuff necessary for such an operation ashore. The weather, considering the time of year, has been far from good, and a period earlier of four days of storms in which discharge was well nigh impossible, must have put us behind schedule, but I think by the turnover since, we must have picked up a lot.

And so it goes on, we get some good laughs, but long for the day when we can get a boat for the return joumey, but in the meantime there is some hard fighting at the front and hard work in our particular line at the base area, but between us, we hope it will not be long before distinct progress is made in this sector, to end this terrible conflict.

11272762 Sgt. Moody C.E. Att. H.Q. Sec. 1034 Port Operating Company. R. E. BLA.

24 Sep. 1944

As far as we are concerned, Phase 1, of the operations since D Day have been completed. The Company did excellent work despite gales, shelling by German long range guns, and of course the almost nightly visitations of his aircraft, mostly on mine-laying expeditions. One-man submarines were also in evidence, and torpedoes from planes and submarines, but no casualties from these or other like causes were incurred at sea, thanks to the vigilance of the navy.

Gradually, especially after the eventual break through at Caen, the tide of battle moved further away, until the noise of the guns or other explosive forces were an event, rather than an almost hourly occurrence. Troops also began to move with the tide until the small towns we were used to seeing alive with personnel of all services, became more and more deserted and eventually appeared dead, and one was glad to move out of the ensuing desolation.
And so through towns ruined beyond all description, and only by seeing them could the destruction be believed, the troops moved forward in the wake of the swiftly advancing armour of the Allied armies. Even among the ruins the inhabitants were trying to gather together the remains of their furniture, and to find a safe hole in the mass fallen masonry, and so stake their claim to the piece of ground on which their house stood a few short weeks ago. Forward then with the flowing tide of guns, lorries, vehicles of all descriptions and carrying a miscellany of all possible weapons and traffic of war, through countryside very much like England, where one could stop and raid orchards of apples and pears, pick blackberries and nuts by the roadside, but where roads are straighter, if not so wide, and where the farms and villages looked different and not nestling so closely together. Some towns and villages are almost untouched by the passing of armies, others battered to the ground at a road junction and unscathed at the outskirts, or if the enemy had stood and fought a rearguard action, scarcely a house remained intact. And so through mile after mile of similar scenes, with the excellent results of the R.AF's precision bombing becoming apparent, craters being closely packed along the verges with rarely a hole in the road, and burnt out lorries and tanks pushed to one side as they met their fate in the headlong flight to safety. Rivers are crossed by the ubiquitous Bailey Bridging, whilst the remains of the original bridge slumps woefully in the water.

The further you move, so the welcome of the population becomes more generous and genuine, until perhaps you move into a small and pretty little town for the night, somewhat off the beaten track, where, when the children went to bed one night with the Germans strutting about, they awoke in the morning to find no sign of them but wanton damage where they had billeted, and the Allied troops in command. After a short halt and a little mopping up of stragglers, even these move on, leaving just a handful behind as a garrison and the Marquis or F.F.1. patrolling the streets, and so you descend on this almost peaceful township. You soon find out that the greatest need of the civilians is cigarettes, and they will cadge and barter almost anything for these, and be highly delighted and grateful if you can provide them. Stocks of goods with English inscriptions, no doubt buried for years, have made their appearance in the shops, and a poor substitute for English beer can be had for 5 frs. a bottle, and wines of various qualities and varieties obtained for a much higher price.

And so onwards in the morning, until you come to your destination for a few days rest before moving up still further to commence the second and we hope final phase of Germany's downfall. Here perhaps you find, was a centre of resistance or silent hostility to the 'Boche', and the population has suffered for its hindrance to enemy occupation. Again the almost urgent demand for cigarettes, as 20 per month of doubtful quality has been their ration for sometime, and the food ration also has been very meagre making bully beef and even the despised army biscuits, a welcome addition to the family diet. Eggs, tomatoes, apples and pumpkins seem plentiful however, but eggs can only be obtained by barter and not with francs, and a hen might be bartered for 100 cigarettes if you can find a home for it.

Atrocities have been recounted in the press at various times, which we have read and taken with a "pinch of salt", but there is no doubt when verifying these stories with the inhabitants, that such things did occur, finger and toe nails torn off in torture, eyes gouged, and other brutalities that it is not easy to write about. Young girls were often the victims of other sorts of attentions and their consorts suffered in consequence. It is no wonder therefore, that the Germans are fighting tenaciously to keep us off their soil, as such accounts want paying, and there are those in the forward areas, especially the Canadians, who will see that the retribution is duly made.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.