Cornelius Ryan WWII papers, box 021, folder 03: Francis David Goode

[*Release Amusing Inf.*] GOODE, Major Francis David 50th North. Div., Gold Box 21, #3

GOLD Maybe 10:00 [crossed out] 0930 [end crossed out] East of Le Hamel 50th Northumbrian No trouble, no casualties on beach During Morning, ran into officer - Maj. John Gay - cycling - who he had not seen since 1930 "Hello red boy Haven't seen you in years. How is your sister?" Landing in fishing waders. "Damned near drowned me" Found champagne, ladies underwear in pillboxes back of the beach

[*BR H GOLD*]

Interview with Major Francis David Goode who was in charge of a Company of the 2nd Glosters of the 56th Brigade attached to the 50th Northumbrian Division which landed on GOLD beach. Refer to map in Wilmot's book. They went in behind the Hampshires who with the Dorsets made the initial assault. Goode and his Company landed at Le Hamel. He had 120 men each soldier carrying about 70 lbs apiece because they didn’t expect the remainder of their gear to arrive until D+3. Their packs contained mostly ammunition. He landed at H + 2 hours which was 9.30 a.m.

Goode at that time was 25, complete with moustache, tall, stoutish, and a little pompous. In fact it was his aim in life to be a sort of junior Colonel Blimp. The average age of his Company was 21 and they travelled over in a LCI from Southampton along with men of other Companies. In all he estimates that there were about 200 on board. He gave his men leave beforehand and as he remembers it “We had only one deserter and frankly we knew the blighter would go anyway”. He told his troops on the way over that the invasion would be supported by"7,000 ships and 11,000 aircraft.” He was scared that they might run into a mine during the night and as he stood on the bridge after nightfall he heard from somewhere below a ’’dull thud", and said to one of his fellow officers “My God, we've hit a mine!” What had happened really was that a sailor below had been playing around with a can of self -heating cocoa. These cans - the British had soups, stews and otherliquids which could be self-heated - had a wick through them which when lit automatically heated the contents. To make it work right one had to punch some holes in thelid. The sailor had not done this and so the cocoa had exploded in his face. This single explosion had caused other cans of [crossed out]cocoa[end crossed out] self-heating cocoa to explode as a result the unfortunate sailor and his quarters was covered with cocoa.

Everybody on board the LCI was sick. They had been in the ship since the 2nd June expecting to land on the beaches of Normandy on June 5. Because of the postponement they had spent another day onthe water. Goode said that the postponement had a terrible psychological effect on the soldiers; "It was rather like being pushed into the operating theatre,” he said “only to find that the surgeon couldn’t make it.”

Goode prior to D-Day had been on the planning staff and he knew that it was expected that casualties might run as high at 60%. In his Company he had a lot of Welsh miners, a sprinkling of Cockneys and Midlanders. He had 3 platoons in his Company with 9 bren guns and four anti tank guns - called by the British Piats - Personal infantry anti tank. One 2” mortar with each platoon plus a jeep and a Company bren gun carrier.

The objective of the Company was to take the centre of Bayeaux which had the code name of Kimberley. If they failed they were to take the St. Sulpice heights.Another - the 2nd battalion - was to take Bayeaux proper.

They landed without any trouble and without any casualties. They marched across the beaches, passed through a minefield [crossed out]by following the tapes which the engineers had put down[end crossed out] and reached a lateral road running behind the beaches. Where they had landed was a little of Goode's map but “we knew we would get back on the map eventually by following this lateral road”. In an orchard a little while later that morning he saw a friend of his whom he had been to school with and whom he had not seen since 1930. This was an officer, a Major John Gay, whom he saw cycling along a road. He said to Gay, “Hello, old boy, haven’t seen you in years. How is your sister?” Some time later that day he learned that Gay, who was spotting for an artillery battery had been killed by a sniper.

One interesting thing about the landing: His troops were issued with fishing waders which came up under the armpits, completely covering boots and trousers. Goode does not know who suggested the idea but they “damn near drowned him [crossed out]them[end crossed out] him”. He tripped up as he was getting out[crossed out]oth[end crossed out] of the landing craft and of course the waders filled up with water and he had a hell of a job getting to his feet. In the pillboxes back of the beach and on the beach he found empty champagne bottles and in one some ladies' underwear.

Here is the equipment that Goode carried with him: revolver; "sten" gun an automatic weapon complete with three magazines; two grenades; two

- 2 - smoke grenades; two smoke flares; capsules of morphine and a hypodermic - unlike the American GI each of whom carried his own morphine in syrettes - only British officers and NCOSs carried morphine; - a mausa atomatic inside his battledress; a shovel; tins of selfheating soups and cocoa; compass and maps.

As previously mentioned the Company landed off their map east of Le Hamel.

Note CORRECTION - THEY LANDED AT 1000 CIRCLING OFF THE BEACH FROM 0730. NO TROUBLE CROSSING THE BEACHES. CHANGE NOTE ABOVE ABOUT MINEFIELDS TO READ "THEY FOUND THEMSELF IN A FIELD OF POPPIES AND SUDDENLY NOTICED A SIGN SAYING "ACHTUNG MINEN” BUT THEN HE SAW COWS [crossed out]RUNNING[end crossed out] WANDERING THROUGH THE FIELD TENDED BY A YOUNG GIRL SO HE FIGURED IT WAS A DUMMY MINEFIELD.

Along the lateral road they were shelled and at one point Lieutenant Peter Hughes lying beside him in a ditch said ’’You know this is about the only place that they can’t reach [crossed out]wit[end crossed out] me with the damned Income Tax form”

The extraordinary thing about Goode and his Company was that nothing happened to them. They marched steadily along until they reached a point north of Oyes when there was a lot of shooting all around them and Goode realised that"he had been caught up in somebody elses battle”. He decided to pull back. He waited for a time and then he was joined by Colonel Denis Biddle, CO of the 2nd Glosters and [crossed out]they held[end crossed out] then he and other officers held a conference at the crossroads on the outskirts of Oyes. He will always remember this conference because there was a lot of enemy dead all around, many of whom hadbeen badly burned and the bodies "smelled to high heaven and there was an appalling smell of burnt flesh.” During the conference the CO told them that there were rumours of enemy tanks being in the vicinity. He told Goode to push on to Bayeaux or his secondary objective the St. Suopice heights. So he pushed onfrom the crossroads. He was later joined by some members of the French resistance who insisted on coming with him. and he also noticed that tne French resistance people insisted ontaking German prisoners back to the beaches. He often wondered what happened to those German prisoners of war. "The Germans were not fighting well,”he remembers. "Whole groups were surrendering to us without even a shot being fired.”

Prior to the conference with his Colonel he had been marching steadily along at the head of his Company when ”he got himself mixed up in somebody else’s battle”. This had come about because a military policeman had directed him on to a wrong road. That evening they entered a village called Magny and he decided to set up his Company HQ in a farm. He sent on his Lieutenant to reconnoitre the farm building and when he returned he reported that the place was empty. The 2nd Lieutenant - Lieutenant Peter Hughes - was asked about the cellar. ”Have you cleared cellars?” asked Goode. And Goode discovered that he had not. Goode himself went down to the cellars and in the cellars found not Germans but a large quantity of cider, eggs and wine - Chateau Neuf de Pape 1921. This made the whole thing worthwhile for Goode. He promptly sent some wine to his CO; sent cider out to the men ’’didn’t want them to get too drunk, you know” also the eggs; and then he and Hughes knocked back a pint of wine with a couple of raw eggs in it each and inflating his rubber mattress, placed it in a farmcart filled with straw and climbed into it to spend the night. Absolutely nothing had happened to the Company throughout the day. They had marched 15 miles and suffered no casualties. They had killed only 1 German. A fat fellow who was shot off his bicycle in Magny. At midnight Goode settled down to sleep completely unaware that in a slit trench about 100 yards away from where he was a half a dozen Germans had also settled down to sleep for the night.

There were rumours all that day that French women were shooting at them. At one point a Sergeant came up to him and reported this and Goode said ’’Well, shoot back at them.”

To this day he is convinced that the resistance people were marching German POWs back to the beaches and doing them in.

Major Francis David Goode D Co of the 2nd Glosters 56 Ind Brig follow up brigade of 50 Div went in behind the Hampshires at Le Hamel on Gold- 120 men Inftry soliders carrying 70 lbs apiece because they didn't expect transport until D + 3 mostly ammo in packs Pulled in H + 2 ~~~ Traveled over LCI (L) from Southhampton which held about 200 men average age of Co D was 21 Gave them leave before hand + had only one deserter "We knew he would anyway" says Goode ~~~ Goode was 25. "7,000 ships" "1000 aircraft " in support of operation he told troops. Had a scare of mines during night. Was on bridge "heard dull thud my God we've hit a mine" What had happened was a sailor had exploded a pressurized tin of cocoa. Place was covered with cocoa ~~ Everyone very sick. Postponement "It was rather like being pushed into the operating theatre only to be told that the surgeon couldn't make it" ~~~ Goode knew that they could expect 60% casualties. Lot of Welsh miners,

sprinkling of cockneys + midland but mostly from Bristol 3 platoons Line Bren guns 4 piats (1 lg) -1 per platoon 2 in mortar with each platoon-jeep & company carrier Bayeux-Kimberlyobjective for company was take center of Bayeux. If they failed they were to take the St Sulpice Heights. 2nd Batt obj was Bayeux proper ~~~ on lateral road behind beaches (after they had found themselves in minefield) they knew they'd get themselves back on map. In orchard Major John Gay a gunner major Had not seen him since 1930 when Goode had been at school at Bradfield. He asked after his family. Shortly after Gay who was spotting for a battery was killed. north of Ryes Goode got himself caught up "in somebody else's battle" decided to pull back. waited for a time and then met Col Dennis Biddle Co of 2nd Glosters and held an order group in