大象传媒

After Mezidon the war office officer with a section of 鈥淔ree French鈥� took us to Falaise in transport getting near to the area there was a lot of troops, including the Canadians with their Sherman tanks. We had ropes so that we could cross the river; we went across the fields- keeping well apart and near the hedges. When we got near the river the lad with the ropes got near the tree, I was about 20 feet back in the field with my Bren gun and then the Frenchmen joined us, complete silence on our side but there was voices from the other side, but no figures could be seen, suddenly the Frenchman just behind me opened fired with his rifle and then all hell broke loose, machine gun fire, grenades, Moaning Minnie and shell fire, the lad with the ropes and his mates was the first wounded, and then I had a bullet go through my tin hat, it came out down the groove in my neck and out through my shirt. I had not fired my gun then because I could not see any targets I crawled out of the field onto a footpath, bullets snapping the hedge, after this I found myself in a First Aid Centre, how I got there I don't know.
When I came too a Sergeant Major was ordering soldiers outside to return to the units, some had broke down crying. The next thing I know I had a bandage around my head with a beret on top of it and my steel helmet strapped to my pack and then I joined the 2nd BN ESSEX REGT with some of my mates from the BLACK WATCH. As we marched through the Falaise Gap with the Regiment an officer shouted 鈥淲hy has that man not got his helmet on?鈥� the Sergeant Major answered him and the Officer came across and apologised. After this parade we got back to small units making our way towards Le Havre.

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