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This story is submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by a member of Market Harborough Branch, Royal British Legion on behalf of Stanley Snow and has been added to the site with his permission. Mr Snow fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.
One Man鈥檚 War
Stanley Snow鈥檚 Story
After being called up into the Army, I did three months training at The Race Course, Warwick. After that I was nearly always stationed on the coast - South, East and West - also the far North of Scotland.

On February 6 th 1943 I married Joyce, both living in Medbourne. She had joined the Women's Land Army, but was living at home, having a job on a village farm. I was by then training for the D-Day landing around the coasts.
Our daughter Jill was born May 2 nd 1944 and I had 24 hours leave. I was only able to catch a glimpse of my new daughter in the nursery at the Market Harborough Cottage Hospital - no holding her or touching her, very strict and mothers only seeing their baby at feeding times. I did not see Joyce and Jill again until the end of the war in Europe.
When the time came we were transported down to Petworth Park, Sussex, knowing it would be our last place in England before D-Day. We were there for a few days until we awoke to find that we were all fenced in. It was June 4th and we knew then it was our time to embark. Because of bad weather we were on the boat until the night of June 5 th , not knowing until we were briefed on board where we would land. We set sail for Sword beach and when we were about three miles from the French coast, we were transferred into landing craft. It was a very choppy ride and most men were seasick.
Then the British bombardment started with shellfire, aircraft and small arms fire. The Germans retaliated and all hell was let loose. Our air force put down a smoke screen for us and, as we approached the beach, ramps went down and we jumped into water up to our chests. We were all carrying almost our own weight in explosives and ammunition and many of our group were lost in deep water before reaching the beach. We scrambled ashore as best we could, soaking wet and stayed in the same clothes for the next six weeks.
On we went, taking the targets set out for us - a pill box containing around twenty Germans at Ouistreham, then taking the Casino there; on we went to Pegasus Bridge, then to Randville, a big battle there and we dug in and held the line until Caen fell. We were then transferred from the Ox and Bucks into the 51st Highland Division, owing to the losses of men. On we then went to the Falaise Gap, then back to Ouistreham, and across the Seine into Belgium. We were rushed down to the Ardennes, where we held back the Germans. We spent Christmas there in 21 degrees of frost and no overcoats and a foot of snow. On Christmas Day we had a piece of cold pork and a bottle of cold beer, the pork from a pig which we caught and killed a day or two before.
On to Arnhem and the Rhine and I was then fortunate in getting seven days leave. When I returned to the front line, the Rhine had been crossed, but I had lost almost all the mates I had been with most of the way from the beachhead. After very tough battles and being wounded, I still carried on.
We fought we way to Bremervorde, where I was badly wounded on May 2nd, my daughter's first birthday. After an operation in the field hospital, I was put onto a plane and flown home. However, the plane developed engine trouble and came down in Belgium. I was taken to a hospital in Brussels, where I was again operated on, almost losing my left leg.
The war finished on May 8 th , thank goodness,. I was in hospital until fit to return home. I had remained on duty despite being wounded twice during the fighting, my deafness being the result, and on each occasion, Joyce had letters from the War Office.
Finally, on arrival in Market Harborough, there were no buses, taxis or trains, so I had to walk the seven miles home to Medbourne.

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