大象传媒

This story has been added to The People's War Website by CSV Volunteer, Ann Toomey, on behalf of the author Joyce Birtles, who understands the site's terms and conditions.

I had a brother, Harry Coulson, who was in the Argyle and Southern Highlanders Regiment. He didn't take part in the D-Day landings but was in the second or third wave to land. He saw one of his mates fall over and he was killed by a tank. My brother had to hold the man's stomach in when he was hit, until the medics arrived.

Harry himself was seriously wounded and until the end of his life had shrapnel in his stomach, in his jaw, plus some in his head near to his brain and therefore it could not be safely removed. They said to have operated on him would have killed him. He died in 1994 aged 70 years.

My father, George Coulson, served in the Medical Corps on the Island of Malta throughout the time of the suffering when they had no supplies because of the enemy. Eventually a tanker and other ships got through. For all their suffering the Island of Malta received the George Cross.

We used to stand in the back garden some nights and listen to the planes going over us towards Derby. You could tell by the drone of the engines whether it was one of ours or the enemy who were mostly aiming for Rolls Royce, which was very heavily defended by search lights, barrage balloons and anti-aircraft guns. We used to go up to the top of the lane to see Derby being bombed and watch it all going over. There was also a large gun at Derby called "Big Bertha". People often found pieces of shrapnel in their gardens. There were no street lights.

For a short while my brother Harry was a prisoner of war until he was freed by the Americans. He really suffered as a POW.

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