D Day June 1944

My first attempt at landing in France was interrupted by a Teller Mine fixed to a beach obstacle. I swam to a tank landing craft that had unfortunately suffered the same fate. I was seven days getting back to Weymouth. I broke my journey on the way back to Petworth to call on my parents.

I arrived at the same time as the telegraph boy. I took the telegraph-it said "Marine R.F Godfrey missing, presumed killed" or something to that effect. My parents never saw the telegram.

20 days later saw me back in another assault landing craft with some other survivors and a contingent of nurses, the first to go to Normandy. It was a beautiful June day, quiet and peaceful. The sea was like a mill pond. “Right” shouted a man with a movie camera “I want all you nurses out of sight. I want all you men to fix bayonets and look aggressive”. Filming commenced. I remember thinking as I grimaced and snarled, “this filming lark is all lies, subterfuge, make believe, tricks”. "That was the moment you decided to join the industry" said a friend. “No it wasn’t, I joined in 1949 by accident rather than design...but that’s another story.

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