PREPARATION FOR D-DAY
LANDING - ARROMANCHES
In 1944, I was a Colour Sergeant and in May I received orders to leave my regiment and report to the Deputy Acting Quartermaster General in Tilbury. I had no idea what to expect and nobody at our depot in Berwick-on-Tweed was any the wiser.
On arrival, I found myself among a small body of men of similar rank 鈥 senior N.C.O.鈥檚 and Warrant Officers from different units 鈥 all equally mystified. None of us were volunteers. In a short welcoming speech by a staff officer, we were informed that we were t o be attached to Movement Control and our duties would be delivered in due course.
We assumed we would be assigned to some sort of administrative job in connection with the much talked about opening of the Second Front. This in itself appeared ridiculous to me as I had spent the previous four years of my military service out in the field.
On 3rd June, we were instructed to pack and be ready to depart at 09.00 hours the following day, when final instructions would be delivered. At the appointed hour on 4th June, I was transported by a Captain in an R.A.S.C. covered lorry to the docks 鈥 a hitherto 鈥榥o-go鈥 area 鈥 and deposited at the foot of what appeared to be a huge ship鈥檚 gangway. 鈥淥ff you go.鈥 he said, 鈥淵ou鈥檒l receive final orders on board鈥. With security paramount, we understood the need for secrecy but surely this was carrying things too far?
I found myself on an American cargo ship named the Hannibal Hamlyn and was escorted to the First Mate. With a certain amount of diffidence, he unceremoniously handed me a white armband; he informed me that I was to be the Ship鈥檚 Quartermaster, responsible for the needs of all military personnel, (whatever that might mean) and would be working in conjunction with the Purser. Embarkation was to begin at 10.00 hours.
To say I was bewildered would be the understatement of the decade. Several hours later we had a full cargo of military hardware, jeeps, light amphibious tanks and 600 Canadian soldiers.
Makeshift sanitary arrangements had been erected on deck. The men dossed down wherever they could 鈥 in the holds or on deck.
Rumours abounded like confetti but no-one knew anything definite. However, because of the temporary nature of the structures, we all guessed it was to be Calais and questions 鈥 and there were many 鈥 were all deflected deftly to the Quartermaster, me, 鈥榯he Limey with the white armband鈥. I was the only Englishman on board. Like everyone else, except the Captain and senior members of the crew, I knew nothing. In the event, our ship along with the rest of the convoy was to remain in the mouth of the Thames for a further 24 hours.
The men passed the time by cooking snacks on primus stoves (army issue), playing draughts, chess and gambling. The atmosphere was one of resignation with an air of quiet restlessness. Conditions were hectic and difficult, accepted by all with admirable stoicism.
Eventually, in the early hours of 6th June, we moved off. Ours was the first convoy to leave Tilbury. The trip, apart from the sounds of sporadic gunfire, was relatively uneventful.
We arrived at Juno Beach, Arromanches, at dusk, not far from H.M.S. Rodney which kept up a series of rhythmic ear-shattering salvos onto enemy shore batteries. The troops disembarked down rope ladders onto smaller landing crafts reaching the shore against little or no opposition. Earlier landings on Sword and Omaha beach had not been so lucky. By far, our overriding feelings were of strain and apprehension, despite isolated attempts at humour, sometimes peppered with foul invective. We completed a successful disembarkation and several hours later we ? returned to Tilbury without incident.
Our convoy suffered several sporadic light aerial attacks but our greatest menace by far was the sinister presence of two- and four-man miniature submarines. Capitalizing on their successes, they lurked in and around sunken wrecks wreaking further damage.
On a later trip, this time on a British vessel, the SS Samarina, we succeeded in sinking one of these.
As a point of interest, when serving on British merchant ships, we were required to sign on as crew at the Tilbury labour exchange.
4542565 Company Sergeant Pear
Warrant Officer II
West Yorkshire Regiment
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