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D.Day

On May 20th 1944 we moved from our concentration area at Wickham to the final marshalling area at Hambledon. I was R.Sigs wireless op, attached with my co-operator to a HAA Battery which was destined to be the assault unit providing AA protection on the beachhead. We were acomodated in tents on, with a fine disregard for history on Broadhalfpenny Down,the celebrated cradle of English cricket. An impromptu football kick aboout was quickly started and in the coourse of this a large Irish gunner named Shelley took a flying tackle and his opponent ended up on the ground with a broken ankle.. There were many who thought him lucky to be out of the invasion and Shelley was asked jokingly to repeat the performance several times. Ironically, he was the first man to be killed in the unit nine days later.
The whole of the next day was spent in changing kit and replacing deficiencies, culminating in the issue of our invasion 'compo' rations, consisting of two 24 hour packs parcelled in greaseprpoff cardboard boxes, containing chewing gum, boiled sweets, 3 bars of chocale, compo tea blocks, meat concentrate and compresed pporridge. In additiona we received a tin of bully beef, more chewing gum, water sterilising oouotfits, and bags, vomit. Then there were cigarettes and a divice called a 'Tommy' cooker, that burned solidified meths. I don't recall whether we were given any matches to light the cooker. Oh,and a few sheets of toilet paper and a mysterious package called 'iron rations' which we were forbidden to open withoout permission. Anticlimatically this turned out to be bitter black chocolate.
On Friday June 2nd we eventually reached the 'hards' at Gosport,where LST's were moored at the waters edge with their bow doors open. As usual it was a case of 'hurry up and wait', and as it was a hot day I retired to a coil of rope, put my back against it and fell asleep. When I eventually awoke the hard was deserted, except for a few ever present Military Police. After a moment of panic I realised that obviously everyone had embarked and
equally obvioously I had no idea which of the half dozen ships they were on. I asked an MP for help, but he didn't want to, or wouldn't become involved, so, feeling lonely, I wandered up and down looking for a familiar face; eventually I saw a couple of our fellows looking over the rail high up on deck of one of the LST's.
My first effort to get aboard was frustrated by the Load Master, obviously a proptotype Jobsworth, who told me no one coould board without a boarding card. However, tanks were being loaded, and by choosng my moments I was able to sneak aboard on the blind side of one of the tanks, getting my feet wet in the process and at some risk of being crushed by the tank and by clilmbing varioous ladders experimentally, found the others, and no one had missed me. I would Imagine I am unique ithe annals of the British Army in being the only soldier who had to ask 'Please can I join your invasion?' And so began The Great Adventure.

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