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‘I was a joiner when I was called up in early 1942. I had just been offered a trial with the Wolves where Stan Cullis was the captain but I lost that opportunity when the call up arrived two days later.
‘After six weeks basic training at Formby I was sent on a driving course before being sent to join D Company, 8th battalion of the Kings Liverpool regiment based at Felixstowe. We trained up and down the country first in Scotland and then in Bournemouth. Most of it was beach training.
‘One month before D Day I was sent with some others in the company to join the Winnipeg Riffles who were part of the 3rd Canadian Division. I was one of the beach party. We boarded our landing craft on Sunday and had a rough time even in harbour before we sailed. I recall as we approached the beach our landing craft suddenly turned round. We had got too far ahead and were going to arrive early. I’ve never heard anybody else report that happening to them on D Day. So we did a big circle and headed into the beach.
‘It must have been about 7.30 when we hit the beach and I jumped into about 2 foot 6 of cold water. Some others in the platoon were detailed to drag an anti tank gun ashore. I had made it to the cover of the sand dunes when I saw this lone Stuka. I watched it release its bomb and followed it as it fell right on the men pulling the gun. Four were killed including our Captain, Sergeant and 2 privates and the rest were wounded.
‘In due course the second in command of the Canadians found me as told me to get in a vehicle called a Weasel and drive him out to one of the ships. With all the shells flying I thought this was mad but we dove until the water was within two inches of swamping the vehicle. He asked me if it would float and I told him it didn’t look as if it would so we headed back to the beach.
‘Now he wanted me to dive him up and down the beach which seemed suicidal but I did it. I felt sure we would get blown up as we did this tour. But we survived.
‘After that I stayed on the beach as the Canadians advanced inland. Our job was to clear mines so that the tanks that were arriving in one of the early waves could get ashore and move off the beach. The survivors of my platoon managed to find and clear a way so the Sappers could build a bridge on D+1.
‘The Germans still had an 88mm gun firing on the beach and they hit 2 tanks before hitting one on the bridge, blocking the route. For some reason someone asked me, a mere private, what to do and I said they should drop this bridge and put another one over the old one and the tank. Which is what they did and eventually the tanks were flowing off the beach.
‘We stayed on for a week driving all sorts of recovered vehicles off the beach. We lived quite well as there were plenty of US ration packs lying about.
‘I was eventfully sent to the 6th Battalion Green Howards as a battle casualty replacement as they had been in the tick of the fighting through Europe. Just before Christmas 1944 we were approaching Nijmegan and I was detailed to go on another fighting patrol. Along with 6 other men we set out towards the enemy position. There was a bit of trouble ahead and I and my buddy stood up and there was a big bang. I felt shrapnel rip into my legs. The others came over and I heard them say the other guy had had it.
‘Somehow they managed to get an ambulance forward. I didn’t think we would survive the journey along the exposed open road back to our lines. By the morning I was in Brussels then on a Dakota flying to England and Dudley Road Hospital near Birmingham. I was treated for 6 weeks and then given 10 days home leave.
‘After that I was again working as a driver helping to move the POWs who were now arriving back at resettlement camps like the one I was with at Pipers Wood, Amersham. But my fighting war like my football career was over.’
This story was submitted to the people’s War site by a volunteer from CSV Oxford on behalf of George Breedon. He has given permission for the material to be edited and published.

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