Sticks of gelignite in wax paper
Royal Engineer dummy pillbox, used in training prior to D-Day
Training at Castle Toward
Last minute changes meant Les would not land in Normandy on D-Day. The initial assault was carried out by the 50th and 3rd Infantry Divisions...We had to carry 80lbs of high explosive gelignite on Yukon packs on our backs. The sticks of gelignite came wrapped in wax paper and looked and smelt like marzipan and gave you a bad headache if you handled it for long.
We made up what we called 'pole charges', i.e. wads of gelignite attached to tops of broomstick-like poles. A detonator was inserted into these, connected to a pressure igniter by a short length of safety fuse. Two sappers were allocated to each assault landing-craft which carried a platoon of infantrymen
On charging ashore, the idea was for the first sapper to run ahead and fall flat with his rifle on the concertina wire. Thus allowing his companion with the pole-charge to run, stepping across his back right up to the enemy pillbox, ram the pole charge into a firing aperture, hit the igniter and take cover.
In reality, we knew we would have little chance of success; what with the German machine guns and anti-personnel mines, there would be faint hope of getting anywhere near the pillboxes. It was very hard going and we must have been extremely fit."
All sorts of landing craft were used to train the men to embark and disembark under various sea and weather conditions, including scrambling nets hung over the ships’ sides. The Landing Craft Assault or 'LCAs' as they were termed, were operated by the Royal Army Service Corps at Rothesay. After Rothesay, Les’s company was moved to Sotterley Hall, near Beccles in Suffolk within their D-Day holding area.
"On the run up to D-Day, leave was restricted. We were issued with the new pattern steel helmets and new MK IV Lee Enfield Rifles. We had new American half tracks and jeeps. I remember it was almost at the last minute that Monty decided that the 50th TT Division and his old 3rd Division both from the 8th Army were to play the assault role in the coming invasion. We were called to the cinema in Yarmouth to be told this, I think they expected us to be sorry and down-hearted after all our amphibious assault training. Not likely, the thought of those pole charges was ever in our minds. We were quite happy! So we went in on D-Day +6 when the front was a mere 4 miles inland and the British and Americans had just linked up.
We went in over on a Liberty Boat, transferring to Rhino ferries for the actual landings...
