53 years later

I joined the territorial army in Sept 1938. In May 1939 we went to Gower Peninsular for our summer camp. Then in August 1939 I recieved my call up papers owing to Germany declaring war on Poland. On September 3rd we were on a route march, when on our way back to the Kings regiment barracks on Townsend Avenue Norris Green Liverpool, a lady came running out of her house shouting to us that we had declared war on Germany. I was appointed as a motor cycle dispatch rider, with an area covering Liverpool docks, from Garston to Gladstone dock and also the Birkenhead docks. I also covered the Dale barracks at Chester,and Southport and Blackpool. I was doing this job until the begining of November when we left Liverpool with the advance party to Launt Cross Roads in Leicestershire. We stayed there until the rest of the Battalion joined us at the end of November. I was sent to Battalion H.Q near Melbourne when on the way as I was passing a farm a dog ran into the road and hit my front wheel which caused me and the bike to go through a hedge into a field, after some time I managed to attract the attension of some farm workers who came to my assistance. After picking me up they got my bike back onto the road and I managed to get back to the Hall at the Cross roads. I was then put to bed where I stayed for two days until the swelling of my foot went down. After 3 months we were moved on to Felixstowe were we stayed for 6 months , I was then attached to C.Coy:. At the begining of July 1940 we were Moved to Hornsey near Hull where we stayed until March 1941, we then moved to Moreton-in-the-Marsh where we had the job of guarding an air base for the RAF where eventually bombers took of to bomb Germany and the Low Country. Again we were moved this time to Doonfoot camp in Airshire Scotland, there we carried out extra training until the begining of 1943, we were now sent to Irvine were we trained on rock climbing and scalling rope netting on high metal frames.We were also trained on Crocodiles and Alligators which were amphibious open tanks, we were then moved to Inverness and Invererie where we were shown how to waterproof our vehicles because now I was driving a 5 ton 4 wheel drive lorry. At the end of 1943 we moved down to Hailsham Sussex where we guarded the Brighton coast line. After staying at Brighton for a short time we were moved again back up to Scotland, were we were driving on and off landing craft on Loch-Lang, we were all wondering were we would end up, some even took betts. We left Scotland and drove down to Havant in Devon to prepare for D-Day. This camp at Havant was a sealed camp, once we were in there nobody could get out, the idea being that no information could be given out by mistake which is what the German spies were after. Then on 1st June we moved in convoy to Portsmouth where we were marshaled to our loading areas. My 5 ton 4 wheel drive truck was loaded fully, when my turn came to be loaded I was guided onto an American type LST, I drove up the ramp onto a lift just inside the ship, this lift then took me and my lorry onto the open deck, I drove of the lift and reversed into a space were I was guided. Once the ship was loaded with lorrys on the top deck they filled the lower deck with tanks and 6 wheeled amphibious ducks, all the vehicles were then chained to the decks, we were now ready to sail. We then moved out into the solent between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight were we anchored until H.Hour. The invasion was cancelled five times owing to bad weather in the English Channel, then on the evening of 5th June we all started to form up as a convoy supported by Motor torpedo boats, Corvets, Destroyers, Battleships, Submarines and Monitors. Flying overhead were hundreds of Aircraft, it was an unbelievable sight. It was a very long night with lots of men seasick, then as dawn approached we could see the faint shorline of France. The Normandy beaches lay ahead, as we got nearer our escorts started to open fire on the beach areas, the noise was deafening , this went on for some time then our ship stopped and started making ready to unload. Suddenly the guns from Le-Havre opened fire on us, so we had to move away towards the beaches and out of range of their guns. When about 1/2 a mile from the beachs we dropped anchor and the bows of the ship were opened, out sailed the ducks and headed for the beach. We had towed a rhino ferry behind us from Portsmouth so two Royal Engineers were swung down from the stern of our Landing craft onto the ferry. They then started the two massive engines and brought the ferry round to the bow of the ship, as soon as it was made secure to the landing craft the tanks of the Hussars were able to move from the hold onto the ferry which then proceeded to the beach head at La-Breche, when the tanks had been unloaded the ferry returned for us to embark. When we got to the beach it was pandamonium, there was red cap military police trying to push us of the beach as soon as possible, but most of the exit roads were blocked with burning tanks and lorrys. I had to make for Beach Group head quarters but nobody had any idea were they were, I ended up driving round for ages, in the end I said to Corporal Smith who had come over with me I have had enough of this so I parked my lorry and we got our heads down. When I awoke I spotted my mate Arthur Heath alongside my lorry in a slit trench, I asked him if he knew were Beach Group H.Q was and he said that they had moved into a dug-out on the near side of my lorry, good so now I was able to start unloading the H.Q stores.(There is a plaque on the gate post of the Mayers office in Hermanville were this was.)As we were unloading the stores we could see the most wonderfull sight as the sky was black with planes some towing gliders, they were totally unhindered by enemy aircraft infact we saw very few German planes at all, thanks to the RAF. The first 24 hours were very frightening, with mortar and shell fire, until we where able to silence some of their guns. On the morning of the second day I spent about 5 hrs guarding German prisoners who were eventually put on empty landing craft and taken back to England. One of the worst jobs was taking my dead comrades bodys from the beaches and also the casualty clearing station to a cemetary in Hermanville. Eventually I was loaned to the Army service core as there was not many of us left in my Battalion, I started carrying Petrol, Ammunition, and compo-rations from the beach head, in land to where they were building a dump. I ended up having many near misses but the good Lord was looking after me. During this time we were sleeping in the cellar of a house just off the beach which was being constantly hit by shell fire but we were still alive and kicking. Untill the big push for Caen came I was carrying all kinds of ammunition, 3.03 rifle and machine gun ammo, artillary shells, land mines and detonators, if my truck had been hit I would have had a quick way to heaven. When our job as beach group finished we went on to L of C, guarding the petrol and oil pipe line ( I think it was called pluto) which came from England submerged in the English chanel, we were based in a little village called Mini-Muser. One night our lads were doing a prowler guard and they encountered a lot trouble with the pipe connections being undone! they eventually found a horse and cart, but instead of the milk churns being full of milk, they were full of petrol, they found two young French kids who had been steeling the petrol and selling it. After we had finished our job as Lines of communication we moved forward with the troops right through to Holland via Belgium. We then came back to relieve a Polish Brigade who where surrounding Germans still holding out around Dunkirk, we stayed there untill the Germans surrendered. We then joined T. Force our job then was to capture machinary etc or any thing that would be usefull that would be shared between the British, French and the Americans. After we crossed the Rhine the first place we found was a factory which was supposed to be turning out parashoots, it was building Meshersmits and the roof had a garden laid out on the flat roof making it hard to see from the air. We then went to Hanover and then Goslar. I was now made a technical sergent and put in charge of Vehicle stores, I had to travel around the different companys checking on transport so that I could indent them for spares if required. I was stationed in Munster larger which meant on a Monday morning I left Munster Larger for Celle, Hanover Brunswick, Goslar, then on to Harbough, Hamburg and then on to Denmark calling at Luebeck, Keele and Kolding then Copen-hagen and arriving back in Munster Larger on friday night. I ended doing that week in week out until my De-Mobilization in March 1946. I was released from the Army and travelled with other men from my Regiment in Munster Larger to Hanover where we boarded a train which took us through the battered cities and countryside to Calais, then by boat across the Chanel to Dover, we then boarded another train which took us to Rochdale and a large wharehouse were I was kitted out with civillian clothes and off to civvi street. To start life again with Lil my Wife and Daughter Mavis. I was lucky, I surrvived many of my friends didnt. I was awarded the Military Medal for my part of D-Day, when people asked what I did I just say it was for being first in the Naffi Queue. When my Dad was informed of his decoration it was usual for the King to officially present the award. Unforunatly this never happened as the King was ill so he just congratulated my father by writing him a short letter. In January 1996 I wrote a letter to the Queen mother who was Colonel-in-chief of the Kings Regiment asking if she could officially present his decoration, she responed to this by return of post inviting my Dad his friend Ken Moore chairmam of T Force and myself to Carence House in February 1997. On the day Ken handed the Medel to the Queen Mother who in turn officially presented it to my Father. We were then invited to sit with the Queen Mother where we talked for over an hour, we were all offered a drink, and allowed to take photographs. It was indeed a very special day for us all. Sadly Dad died 6 months later, I am so glad I wrote to the Queen Mother when I did.

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