...I really have no idea how many men were aboard, but I’m quite sure everyone was just about as sick as I was. There were virtually no facilities on board as we were supposed to go straight to Normandy overnight.
Rations were a problem; our Gunner Sergeant had suggested we bring bread with us, so we had a few loaves on board. They soon went mouldy! In any case, by the time we finally got to the beaches on 23rd everyone was just thrilled to get off that damned boat!"
As Ralph had suspected, he was first off. The Bren Carrier was transferred onto an LCT (Landing Craft – Tanks). Fortunately by that time, the landing was unopposed. Armoured vehicles of all types along with supporting troops landed without much incident. By this time the Battalion was attached to the 59th Staffordshire Division which formed the break-out force tasked to take Caen.
"I always think that it was the delayed crossing which saved my life. By the time we landed the fighting had moved inland. Nevertheless the landing was quite tricky. Our Bren Carrier was fitted with skirting panels which were designed to stop us being swamped by the water. These could be simply removed with a spanner, but on ours the front panel became twisted and it obscured my view. Anyway – I just put my foot down and we were on the beach. I hardly got my tracks wet! We landed in the late afternoon at about 5 o’clock and quickly cleared the beach to move inland in the direction of Caen. We found a wooded area and camped there for the night. Before long our first action brought us to the harshest realities of war and yes, we lost some pals.
Within about 10 days or so of our landing there was a huge bombing raid on Caen. We were instructed to dig in; this meant digging a hole big enough for me to drive the Bren Carrier into and to shelter the rest of us. Although we had been told to keep our heads down, the air attack was the most terrific sight. We were told it was a 450 bomber raid; throughout this we were standing on the Carrier shouting and cheering! Of course we knew this bombardment was going to make our task easier."
It was a 450 bomber raid, dropping in excess of 2,500 tons of high explosives. The action was carried out by Halifax & Lancaster heavy bombers which crossed the city in waves, starting at about 22:30 on 7th July...
