大象传媒

Return to Normandy June 2004

The 6th.June 2004 was the 60th anniversary of the D day landings in Normandy by Allied forces to free Europe from the German Nazi regime. It was known as Operation OVERLORD and having served in Normandy at that time I was entitled to be called a 鈥淣ormandy Veteran鈥� and therefore able to go to Normandy to honour and remember those who rest in the many military cemeteries in Normandy.

After I left the Army in 1946 for one reason or another I last touch with all military matters and it was not until a few years ago when I rejoined my regimental association that I began to take more interest in my past military life. Last year I met Les Dyer, a private soldier who served at one time in my transport platoon. He talked about the Normandy Veterans Association and his membership of the Southend Branch. He explained that members were planning to return to Normandy in June 2004 as it was the 60th anniversary of D day and the commencement of Operation Overlord. This made me think as this would be the last chance I might have to visit Normandy and say goodbye to those friends and colleagues who lay buried there. I realised that I must 鈥渓ay that ghost鈥�. With Betty鈥檚 full support I eventually managed to become a member of the Dorset Branch no.84 of the NVA. They had room on their coach as well as a double room at the hotel in France. All these arrangements were made early in 2004 and I had plenty of time to reflect on the forthcoming visit. My regimental badge had to be sewn on to my blazer, suitable fittings for medals also had to be devised but most important a blue beret had to be purchased. It also took me sometime to find an old cap badge. When all this was in place all I had to do was polish my medals! When I first decided to return to Normandy I gained the impression that the entire visit would be low key and the government would only be sending a junior minister to represent the country. However this was thrown into confusion by the President of France inviting our Queen to attend the D day ceremonies. Press announcements invited any veterans to claim a grant to enable them to attend. I was offered 拢300 plus 拢225 for Betty who was my official carer. During this waiting period I had plenty of time to reflect on my first visit to Normandy in 1944. I was a Lieutenant in the 1st. Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment in the 15th.Scottish Infantry Division. We were a divisional support unit with three companies of MMGs (machine guns) and one company of 4.2 inch mortars.
I was the battalion Transport Officer and was responsible for some 200 vehicles half of which were tracked vehicles. It was my job to ensure that drivers were fully trained and all vehicles were maintained and mobile at all times.
The three MMG companies were loaded on to ships in the London docks over the 15th.and 16th.June and finally landed in Normandy on the 22nd and 23rd. of June having been delayed by a storm in the channel. They were in action within 24hours. I was left behind with the heavy transport together with the mortar company. We finally loaded on to a large tank landing ship on the 6th.July and went ashore on SWORD beach on the 7th.July. An account by Les Dyer of 鈥淏鈥� company鈥檚 landing and details of their first action can be found on the 大象传媒 ww2 website.

Now back to June 2004 and Betty and I were off to join up with the NVA No.84 Dorset branch at Wool in Dorset. Unfortunately Betty had torn a ligament in her leg on the last day of our holiday in Malta but she was determined to go to Normandy. We only had six days after arriving home and a wheelchair had to be obtained and crutches sorted out. As we were due to meet at 10am on 4th.June at the British Legion Club we arranged to stay at a B&B the night before. A kind friend drove us up on the 3rd.June and during the evening we went to the 鈥淪hip Inn鈥� for a meal. When ordering some drinks and our meal we were approached by a Hell鈥檚 angel type who insisted on shaking my hand and buying our drinks. He said he was proud to meet a veteran and honoured to shake my hand. I was completely taken back by this approach and it was obvious that he really meant what he said.
Next morning we met up with our travelling companions and having loaded everything on to the coach we were off to Poole docks to catch the ferry to Cherbourg. The British Port authorities were very kind and allowed us to remain on the coach whilst it drove on to the ferry. By 1800 hours I was back in Normandy. We drove to our hotel in the town of Villedieu les Poeles. It means 鈥淕od鈥檚 town of Copper鈥�.
5th June
We were all on our coach by 7.45am en route to Colville Montgomery, a small town on what was known as 鈥淪word鈥� beach. Incidentally I landed on this beach 60 years ago. We had a journey of about 50 miles and the countryside was very beautiful nothing like that I remembered all that time ago. The journey took
about 90 minutes. We debussed on a large car park at the back of the beach and our chairman, Bob Collins, did his best with the aid of a plan previously sent to him to find out where we should parade but nobody could make sense of the instructions try as we may.
Whilst we waited for something to happen more and more veterans arrived by coach and I think the final total was about 2000 paraded for the march. During this period I had a big surprise. Les Dyer suddenly appeared and handed me a badge that he had collected on my behalf the day before. I will now digress to relate the story of this badge. When I joined NVA I was sent a form to complete and return to an address in Paris. This form was an application to obtain a badge being offered to all veterans who attended the ceremonies in June 2004. I discussed the matter with Les Dyer who told me not to worry about it as he would add my name to the list he was submitting on behalf of his branch! I then forgot all about the matter until our chairman told us he had submitted our names for a badge and we would be collecting them at Colville. I remembered what Les had promised and wondered what would happen. Sure enough, Les had kept his word, and I shall always be grateful to him for this kind and thoughtful act. I did not collect the second badge at Colville as the crowd was so large I would never have found my way to the collection point. Les was a true mate.

When we finally got on parade under the eagle eye of a British Army drill sergeant I found myself at the front of our company next to my friend Peter who was right marker. Peter had agreed to look after me on account of my eyesight. I mentioned to him that he was the right marker. He then told me he was in the Navy and had never marched in his life and what did the right marker do! I sorted him out and told him to keep looking forward when we came to the saluting base and ignore the command 鈥渆yes right鈥�. We managed! According to reports we put up a good show. As soon as we marched off the parade ground we found ourselves faced with cheering French crowds ten deep on either side of the road. I must admit it made us feel very proud and it put a spring in our step. When we reached the park we formed a large circle round the statue of General Montgomery. The service started but we could not hear it as there was no P A system. We formed up again and marched back to the car park. On the way we passed the saluting base where the Duke of Gloucester took the salute. On arrival back at the car park we were dismissed to await our coach. During this period the rest of our party collected their badges.

During the afternoon we went to Pegasus bridge but the very heavy traffic prevented our coach getting anywhere near the bridge caf茅. The Prince of Wales was there to inspect a replica glider that had been built as a reminder of those gliders that landed there on D minus 1. We did manage a long walk in the hot sun to the caf茅 to get a drink but beyond that we did not see anything. During the walk to and from the caf茅 Betty and I were stopped by a number of French as well as Dutch and Belgian people who wanted to shake us by the hand and many just said 鈥渢hank you鈥� It was all very emotional. One man gave me a red rose and Betty kept it in our hotel room for the remainder of our stay. Betty was on crutches all the time as it had been impossible to unload the wheel chair from the coach. During the walk back from the bridge I was able to sit behind the wheel of a Jeep. It was a 2943 model identical to the Jeep I drove throughout Europe. It certainly brought back some memories.
During the journey back to our hotel were able to admire the lovely Normandy countryside.

6th.June

Once again we were in our coach at 7.45am for the 1.1/2 hour journey to Bayeux war cemetery. It was a very hot day but this time Betty was thankfully able to use the wheelchair and I was very grateful to Paul Atterbury who offered to look after her. Those of us who were going to march to the arena were told to be ready at 10.30am and during this wait Peter and I walked slowly among the many headstones. It was such a beautiful setting and so peaceful. I knew that some members of my battalion were buried there including Micky Head who was killed by 鈥渇riendly fire鈥� but I could not find his headstone among those rows and rows of graves. When we gathered to parade for the service it was announced that there was a delay of one hour the reason being that the French President was delayed by fog following his meeting with the American President at Utah beach. Finally we did parade and march to the open space in front of the memorial where the service was to be held. The company I was in finally halted in the shade of some trees as by this time the sun was very hot. Unfortunately I was several rows back and did not see anything of the proceedings but the PA system was good. Betty did see most of what was happening but there were some selfish people who stood in front of her wheelchair. Her Majesty The Queen appeared to be happy to be with us veterans at this ceremony in spite of being kept waiting by the French President. During the waiting period the Prime Minister together with leaders of other political parties decided to walk among the crowds shaking as many hands as they could. I felt the entire ceremony was being high jacked by politicians and commercial enterprises and the veterans were being sidelined. The veterans were there with their Queen who was head of the armed forces to pay homage and remember their fallen comrades. Everything else was secondary but the reverse applied.

When the service was over we all returned to the embussing point to await our coach and I was reunited with Betty. The time was now about 1PM and we were told not to leave the spot but to be ready to get into our coach immediately
it arrived. We heard there were about 180 coaches in the park but they were only being called one or two at a time. The French police were in charge and were not very efficient. There were only about 50 coaches occupied by veterans and the rest were tour operators. There was no attempt to give the veterans any priority and as a result there was chaos at the embussing point. There was nowhere to sit down and no shade which meant we had to stand in the hot sun until sometime after 4PM before our coach arrived. We had been on our feet in the hot sun since 9.15am without any chance of a rest or use of a toilet. Our food was on the coach but thanks to the men of the British Army we were able to obtain bottles of water. These lads were marvellous to us and did all they could to make the situation more bearable for us. It was about 3PM when we all decided we were too tired to parade at Arromanches in the evening. We heard later that even if we had wanted to parade we could not have done so. The French police closed all roads into the town at 4PM. So as soon as our coach did arrive the driver found a suitable parking place where we could eat our packed meal as supplied by the hotel. We then drove back to our hotel denied of the opportunity of parading before our Queen and participating in the last march and final goodbye. I heard later that were only about 800 veterans on that parade but commercial enterprises had plenty of people watching the parade.
On our return to our hotel most of us drowned our feelings in local bars drinking tea, beer or local wine bar

7th June

We had a much later start on this day and we were not in 鈥渦niform鈥�. We had decided that we were not to be denied a visit to Arromanches so that is where we went. The town was crowded and the coach could only park at the top of the town so out came the wheelchair and away we went to try and find the sea front. When we did get there it was just like any other seaside scene but to me the sight of those sands evoked images of what must have happened 60 years ago. Whilst we were sitting on a bench overlooking the beach one of the veterans on our coach joined us, the time was one minute after 12 o`clock. He told us that on the 7th.June 1944 at that minute he landed on this beach. It was a very moving moment for us as he related the event. He was a veteran who had been evacuated from Dunkirk, served in North Africa as well as Italy before returning to the UK to take part in the invasion of Europe.
It was a restful day and we returned to our hotel at leisure enjoying the beautiful countryside thinking very much of what had happened over the past few days.

8th.June

We started our journey home at 9am. As usual everybody was on time. Throughout the visit nobody was ever late which made life much easier for our driver. The first stop was for a lunch break at Ste.Mere-Eglise. This town was liberated by the American Army in 1944 and is remembered for the American parachutist who became entangled on the church clock. A parachute still hangs from the clock in the soldier鈥檚 memory. The town was full of people dressed in American ww2 army uniform driving military vehicles. Throughout our visit we had noticed such scenes. It was then on to another town on the road to Cherbourg. This time we stopped at St.Vaast-La-Hougue. This town is twinned with Bridport hence the stop and we were shown an exhibition of wartime memorabilia with plenty of evidence of the treatment the local population suffered under the German occupation. The visit was concluded by a speech by the mayor of the town and welcome refreshments.
It was then off to a hypermarket and on to the ferry. We eventually reached the British Legion Club at Wool at about 11.30PM.

Epilogue

I unloaded the wheelchair from the coach piled our case on the seat along side a case of wine and with Betty on her crutches we toddled off into the darkness to our B & B 300 yards down the road!

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