ryan_box023-tld_f48_03

Your name JOHN BLAKE
Did you by any chance keep a diary of what happened to
you that day? Include any impressions from it. We were not premitted to
[inserted] more comments on reverse side [end inserted]
keep a diary. At dawn, after the gun crews were closed up and remained
that way until some of the landing craft were loaded with soliders and went
on their way.
Were any of your friends killed or wounded either during
landing or during the day?
Yes, one of my friends were killed during the landing operation.
Do you remember any conversations you had with them before
they became casualties?:
[crossed out] Yes [end crossed out] We discussed the fact that this was the day for which
all preparations were laid. He said that he was prepared to
accept whatever fate had in store for him, but he expressed concern
about his wife and child. How they would accept reality; know
that his thoughts were of them.
Were you wounded? NO
Do you remember what it was like--that is, do you remember
whether you felt any pain or were so surprised that you
felt nothing?
Do you remember seeing or hearing anything that seems funny
now, even though it may not have seemed funny at the time?
Do you recall any incident, sad or heroic or simply memorable,
which struck you more than anything else? The most memorable incident
or picture was the petting of that tremendous armanda of ships at
dawn which stretched over a vast area for miles - all carrying their
cargoes of troops.
Did you encounter any enemy aircraft or flak? Was your aircraft damaged? NO
Little ships, big ships, battlewagons, small fishing boats,
tugs, dinghys, motorboats, anything that could placed under
power. Men with but of a single purpose in mind to provide
a vehicle for launching this invasion of men on to the
continent.