ryan_box024-tld_f24_03

Your Name - 45065 CWR Haines Sgt

Did you by any chance keep a diary of what happened to
you that day? Include any impressions from it.

No diary.

Were any of your friends killed or wounded either during
landing or during the day?

Yes, but not in my own unit.

Do you remember any conversations you had with them before
they became casualties?

No.

Were you wounded?
Not on D-Day.

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?

NA

Do you remember seeing or hearing anything that seems funny
now, even though it may not have seemed funny at the time?

I recall seeing two French women trying to drive a large herd of cattle
through the streets of Beny - sur - Mer, while the town was under heavy
mortar fire, it was amazing to see the complete unconcern of these people
for their own safety, while trying to get their animals to a place of safety.

Do you recall any incident, sad or heroic or simply memorable,
which struck you more than anything else?

I think the thing I recall with the most clarity on D-Day, were the men
of the Armoured regiment, whose tanks were knocked out near the beach. I
saw quite a number with the skin of their faces, hands and arms hanging
in monstrous water blisters from the terrible burns they had received,
still cheerful, even though they were horribly burned.

Did you encounter any enemy aircraft or flak? Was your aircraft
damaged.

NA