大象传媒

My father, Jim Ramsey, wrote down the following memories of D-Day, shortly before he died in 1990. At the time of the Invasion, he was a gunner in a flail tank. A 20-year old from a Lancastrian village, this was his first trip abroad, and he refused to visit Europe again for the next 45 years (even though my mother tried to assure him that nobody would be shooting at him anymore).

My mother Anne, my sister and myself will be visiting Normandy this weekend, and will toast his memory and those of his friends and comrades, with Calvados, the drink he always associated with the Invasion.

Jim's memories:-

Preparation for D-Day
At the beginning of May 1944, "A" Squadron Westminster Dragoons was stationed at Thorpeness in Norfolk. We had to waterproof our tanks. Every inch of the outside had to be wire-brushed and all nuts and bolts, openings, escape hatches and gun ports were sealed and made waterproof. It was boring, dirty work and took a fortnight. It was unnecessary in the event for we landed dry-shod. On trains we transported the tanks to Sussex, where we were put under armed guard and not allowed out of the area where we lived in tents. We could write no letters. We were given new clothes, paid in French francs and taken into a hut, which was very heavily guarded, and shown a map with mythical names. It was a map of Normandy. I remember the town Caen had the code name Poland and was to be taken on the first day. We were sworn to secrecy.

The Invasion
At Newhaven we loaded onto an L.T.C. where we spent an additional 24 hours as the Invasion was postponed for a day because of bad weather. We set sail in the dark on the night of 5/6 June. When morning came we were not alone. There were ships as far as the eye could see from horizon to horizon. Normandy came in sight and we got ready. We had a motorcycle strapped on the back of the tank and a motor cyclist riding on the turret. I offered to share the gunner鈥檚 seat with him but he declined. He joined me quickly when something flew past his head. Shells were falling round us and a ship near us was hit. Our B and C squadrons had landed with the first wave three hours earlier. We were to push inland with the tanks of the Staffordshire Yeomanry (ordinary Shermans).

We went past the village of Hermanville; we had landed on Queen Beach, and were crawling through some open fields a few hundred yards past the town when tanks behind us began to blow up. Three flails and a half-track were knocked out from anti-tank fire from our right. We carried on some distance until we halted on a ridge. We waited for the advance which never came. We stuck thereabouts guarding the flank until 5 in the afternoon.

A great mass of 4-engined bombers and gliders came in on our left to reinforce the original airborne drop on the River Orne. Quite a number were shot down and one Sterling crashed close to us. Next came a report that 40 German tiger tanks were heading our way. We feared the worst. I have since read that these tanks were stopped by an anti-tank screen which the British had posted on their line of advance.

At last it began to grow dark and all the tanks withdrew to form a laager further back. We filled up with petrol and ammunition and made a cup of tea. I was on guard for 2 hours. I heard 3 single German planes up above and so much flak was sent up from our bridgehead that all three were shot down on fire. We were up at first light, about four o鈥檆lock. D-Day was over and D-Day +1 had started.

We had bread for the first time a month later. I slept in a bed again on Christmas Eve in Brussels where I had 48 hours' leave from Holland.

All the infantry who landed with us were killed or wounded within a few months. Several infantry divisions were disbanded later. I was really glad not to be in the infantry.

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