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This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Bernie Hawkins and has been added to the website on behalf of Patricia Hooper with her permission and she fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

I joined 671 (M) HAA Batterey at Wyke Regis in September 1943. Our C.O. was Major Charles Brockett (nicknamed 鈥淭iger鈥�). Our Officers were Subaltern the Hon. Mary Weir, Capt Jack Gibbs and Lieut. Fraser (a cousin of Lord Lovatt). We shot down our first enemy plane in October and the Major invited the Mayor of Weymouth with his Councillors to the camp, where we entertained them to a concert in the mess hall. Our stage was wooden planks put down over ammunition boxes and the curtains blankets held up with ropes. Very much local talent and d.i.y. props.

Just after Christmas that year, I was transferred to the 鈥淏鈥� Company, stationed at the Nothe Fort. We were housed in the old married quarters (which is now a car park), but nice and central to the town when we had an evening pass. I remember when they tested the torpedoes, and the boats going out to recover them. The gun site overlooked Chesil Beach and was 2 miles from Chickeral Village.

The Americans started to arrive in Weymouth very early in the year. We witnessed a company embarking on a ship at Weymouth Harbour, the first of many. Then in March 1944 we were transferred to Fleet (now a camping site). We took over from an all male battery, who informed our advanced guard that Jerry always bombed the site they left. They were right! Two days later we were bombed, but they missed. There was also the incident when the water main was bombed and we were without water. They sent in a water carrier daily - the tea was disgusting. The girls cleaned their teeth with the tea and the men shaved in it. The last heavy raid on the Weymouth area was the 29th of May 1944.

During this time the big build-up of American troops continued. Fleet House (now the Moonfleet Hotel) and the woods around were full of troops. In the town they were everywhere. The units near us were Anti Aircraft Artillery (the 3 As). I had pictures of two of them, Frank Lewis, from New Jersey, and one we only knew as Chuck. They went over on D-Day plus 7. Sadly I lost touch with them, as happens in wartime.

In the build-up to D-Day, all our mail was censored from March. All privileged leave was cancelled in March and local leave in the middle of May.

My memories of D-Day are still very strong today. We were semi-manned from the 3rd of June, which meant that the command post and the guns had partial crews round the clock. We didn鈥檛 undress, just laid on our beds ready and waiting. Then, on Monday 5th June, the ships were leaving and the horizon was full of ships and oblong shapes that were not in the observer鈥檚 book. They were, of course, the Mulberry Harbour sections being towed out for the rendezvous south of the Isle of Wight. The planes had been flying out all day. Then at 2200 hours the Dakotas and Stirlings with the Horsa gliders passed overhead. As we had double British Summer Time we could see them so clearly, all the planes sporting black and white stripes on their under wings. We knew then that this was the big one. We felt nervous and excited, our thoughts with the men going out.

We kept a look-out and watched the planes and ships disappearing. No-one could settle. We witnessed the biggest armada ever. It was magnificent 鈥� daring 鈥� yet we still had this nervous apprehension. Will it be all right? Will it be successful? Will the men be all right? Then, at about 5 a.m. our time, we heard the naval barrage. Two hours later it stopped. It was so silent.

Then, at about 9 a.m., a US Air Force Liberator bomber flew over and dropped its crew off Portland Bill. The plane then made a belly landing on Chesil Beach and the gun鈥檚 crew ran to the command post to watch. They cheered as the pilot and co-pilot climbed out of the plane. (I recently sought more information on this crash and learned that 8 of the 9 crew were saved, but the young rear gunner drowned after being caught up in his parachute. The survivors were taken to the Royal Victoria Hotel in Victoria Square, which was being used as a temporary hospital.) another Liberator crashed at Corfe Castle at about the same time. This time all the crew died. They were from the same squadron.

Strange as it might seem, we were shown how to load and use a Sten Gun and dig slit trenches in case there was a counter-invasion and paratroopers were dropped this side of the downs to cut of Weymouth. We were to use our 3.7 in. guns as coastal or field guns, but thank God, they weren鈥檛 needed.

When I look back on the events and how we accepted everything without question, I find it difficult to believe we did those things 鈥� and what would have happened if things turned out differently.

I lost touch with a lot of my friends from 671 Battery. I had my appendix removed a week after D-Day at Weymouth Hospital, Abbotsbury Road (now an old people鈥檚 home). I believe it used to be the workhouse, but had been converted to a military hospital.

Weymouth holds many memories, and I have great affection for the place where so much happened. Since the end of the War I have been back many times visiting the sites and places where so much happened and we all grew up fast.

The people of Weymouth were very kind to us. Once a week a group or individual would come up to camp to entertain with concerts 鈥� ensembles, magicians and music appreciation (classical record recitals), although I must admit that chamber music played by a trio of ladies was not so well attended 鈥� we were a 鈥済roovy鈥� lot. Officially, we were supposed to have a 24-hour pass and an evening pass once a week, but the 24-hour pass was more like once in 3 weeks and the evening pass once in 10 days, so you can see how much we did appreciate everyone giving their free time to entertain us.

The 671 Battery disbanded and we went to Mary Churchill鈥檚 Battery, where they were preparing for overseas service. Unfortunately I was under age and my father would not give his consent to overseas service, so again I was transferred to 443 (M) HAA Battery in 鈥淒oodlebug Alley鈥�, at Petts Wood in Kent, where I stayed until the end of the War. Here, our enemy were V1s (Doodlebugs) and V2s. (The first Doodlebug was launched on the 14th of June 1944.) We lost three of our Gunners. My opposite number and I were blown out of our predictors鈥� tracker seats and ended up on the ground by an exploding V2 rocket. We got a telling-off from our Officer who came up from the underground plotting room to see what all the noise was about. No one knew just when the next explosion was going to take place. (When I joined the Merchant Navy in 1952, launching ramps from the V1s were on the dockside at Le Havre, a reminder of the War.

(Footnote: During 1941, when more men were needed abroad or to replace those taken prisoner, wounded or killed, Ack-Ack Command was severely short of manpower. It was suggested to Government that girls could be trained to man the instruments on gun sites. There was much opposition to the idea, but it was finally agreed and the first mixed battery was formed in late 1941, which included Subaltern Mary Churchill, daughter of Winston Churchill. So it was British girls who were first to take a combatant role. 250,000 girl 鈥渧olunteers鈥� were recruited and about 300 lost their lives. We were privileged to be called Gunners and to wear the red flash, lanyard and grenade of the Royal Artillery.)

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