LCpl Jean Davies Normandy 1944

LCpl Jean Davies ATS Service No: W103258

I joined the ATS as a clerk in October 1941. After basic training and some months passing I asked to serve overseas and was transferred to the CMP Provost in Oct 1943. After completing my MP training at Mytchette I was posted to Ashford Kent.

My next posting was in May 1944 to a Camp being prepared for refugees from the Continent at Sompting in Sussex. While I was there a bomb dropped on the Camp and killed the OC of the Company.

In early June we awoke one morning to see that a Glider had crash landed on the hill behind the Camp. Although I did not realise it at the time the invasion had begun. The Major from the glider was taking part in the airborne landing on the Ranville battery. He was able to fly out and join his troops the next day.

While at Sompting, I was called to a meeting in London and was asked if I would like to join the 21st Army Group. Having accepted this I was then posted to a unit being assembled at Wentworth.

Much happened in this period as we prepared to go to France and what I can remember is that on the 9th August at 2am we got into lorries and drove down the Portsmouth Road. We boarded a ship at the port moored alongside the quay. The ship was painted white and the crew were (Lascan). The only other troops on board were Canadian. We spent the night on board accommodated in the lowest part of the ship.

On 10th August we arrived off GOLD beach just as it was getting dark. We had been issued with slacks which was just as well as we had to climb over the ships side and down scrambling nets into landing craft. This was quite tricky as all our equipment had been fastened to our webbing. The Landing Craft took us to the MULBERRY Harbour where we were transferred to Lorries. These took us a mile or more inland towards Bayeaux, my first impressions of France as we moved away from the harbour and along the lanes were of strange loud moaning noises and engine noises.

We were unloaded in a field which had tents already set up and prepared by our advance party, who had left three days before us. They had prepared a hot meal for our arrival; stew and green peas (a treat) we went to sleep with the sound of distant gunfire in our ears.

In the morning we observed that the tents were dug in below ground level and that there was a field kitchen. As days went on the biggest problem was keeping clean and we had a tin bath to use for this. A Bath Unit arrived shortly afterwards which was operated by two ancient Pioneer Corps men, who pumped water to give us showers. This I never forgot as it was really funny.
There was a Field Hospital close by and in the next field was the Rear HQ caravan of Montgomery.

We did not have many duties at this time and we mainly attended classes in French and first aid and sentry duty at the gate to our field. All day and particularly at night we could hear the battle taking place at Caen.

In our off duty time we were allowed to visit Bayeaux which had not been bombed, so this was an experience, small shops, ENSA and a bit smelly! There was a crossroads we passed over which was very dusty and the vehicles had to be careful not to raise dust for security reasons.

We remained here until the end of August when we then had orders to leave for Brussels. We travelled in Army Lorries and passed through Caen which was nothing but smoking rubble. We had drinks at cafes along the way and spent the night at Rouen Arriving in Brussels we were billeted in the Avenue Louise in a former German HQ. We were the first ATS to be seen in Brussels. Our duties consisted of daily street patrols and report writing of any significant events.

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My mother’s memory was rather vague about the rest of this period but what she did do was marry my father on leave from India in 1945. By so doing she did not go to help with the relief of the surviving inmates of Belsen, which many of her unit comrades went on to do. I helped my mother en-role in the Normandy Veterans in her 80’s. Jean was unusual for the local branch as they had very few women members,

7634561 Capt Jack Arthur Redfern became Jeans husband in 1945. He served in the Royal Army Ordinance Corp from the 06 June 1940 to 07 December 1941 working in the underground workings at Corsham Wiltshire. He volunteered to be a Despatch Rider, having never ridden a motor bike before. He had several adventures, one of which was when he hid in a hay stack from a German fighter... In 1941 he volunteered to become an Officer in the Indian Army passing OCTU shortly afterwards. Between February to May 1942 he attended Officers Training School Bangalore; he passed and joined the 5th Maratha Light Infantry at Bangalore. He rose to the rank of Staff Captain and Adjutant and served in India between 28 May 1942 to 04 April 1946. He was demobbed in 1946

Jack and Jean had three children, Susan, Michael and John. They both had long lives and lived until their 80’s

John Redfern TD Jan 2006

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