Training and consequent action in France

After joining in May 1942 training lasted 12 weeks at Caterham Barracks before transferration to Perbright in Surrey for extensive further training on tanks. Then was transferred to the Squadron before moving to Brandon in Bryant and May's Matchwood forest for training on Sherman tanks. From there Roy was transferred to East Yorkshire Wolds being stationed at Helmsley Park. Spent a cold winter in old WW1 Bell tents with 12 people enclosed amid the snow and ice of 1943/44. After training in Yorkshire Wolds was transferred to a new unit in Thirsk. An then from there was moved back down to Perbright for a short period before D-Day. Transferred to Portsmouth where was consequently flown over to Cherbourg where a German army was pincered in the following weeks. Thousands were slaughtered iun the Fallaise gap and Germans retreated so quickly that the British tanks had to be loaded onto tank transporters to catch up with the retreating enemy which took about 3 days. Pressed on to Brussels and made the biggest advance of the entire war when over 90 miles was gained in a day. In Brussels there was crowds of supporters and welcomers reulting in it being around 3am before leaving, this was after arriving at early evening. After Brussels the troop pushed on to the Bvd. of Koekelberg and the following day moved to the sports stadium. 8 September, crossed a canal behind hte battalion and throught the villages of Beverloo and onto Bourg Leopold. 18th September, just managed to subdued Hechtal and pushing up towards Eindhoven. Operation Market Garden followed with the sky black with parachutes and gliders. Locals used to collect the parachutes to make dresses etc. from the silk.Several mornings later, the battalion was machine gunned by german planes and 4 men were injured. Several men jumped onto the tanks to man the Browning guns and retaliate to the aircraft. About 5 minutes later another plane appeared out of the mist and once again the tanks opened up however it was then realised that this aircraft was a British Spitfire! All of this time Roy was lying underneath one of the tanks along with all of the offficers of the group. All this was the start of Market Garden. The whole of No. 2 Squadron was dispatched to Oss where they captured many food factories. HQ was set up along with all amenities including a mobile cinema. The battalion was then ordered accross the bridge on October 1st. Varius skirmishes in villages round and about Nijmegen. Training ensues in a semi-holding position until early November when the battalion was transferred to Sittard. He was placed in the house of a professor of mathematics for his accomodation where he learned chess and two pack patience with the professor. Sittard was left around the 20th of December and moved back to Tirlemont. Whilst situated here the first flying bombs were heard, little than a mile away setting off to bomb england. In February the battalion wasa moved to Nijmegen before being dispatched to Gock in Germany. On 4th March they were suddenly moved to Kapellen. On the afternoon of 30th March the Rhine was crossed on a pontoon bridge called London Bridge. The troop was making for Enschede on April 1st when 2 tanks got knocked out, one containing Roy with fire from three large guns situated accross the canal. This is where Roy reached his moment of fame, sprinting accross a field with his trousers smouldering after catching fire from a nearby tank. This particular troop, cosisting of 3 tanks, was the only troop in the world to carry Typhoon rockets, these were demonstrated but never used.

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