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Facsimile
Transcription
BR
Banya King Story
E
Sword
Captain Hugh Gunning- Offical War Office observer with 3rd British Infantry
39 on D-Day, living in Dulwich, London- no children.
Short, rotound, quiet spoken Scottish accent. Nice sense of humour keen
army man. [Crossed out] Mil [end crossed out]
Gunning landed at Ouistreham at 1300 D-Day. On the way over he found
himself beside a Captain Basil Spence. He asked him what he was doing
on "this job". Spence told him that he intended to blow up a fleet of
rubber model battleships which would then be floated down the Channel.
Gunning at first thought that his leg was being pulled. But he later
discovered that it was quite true. Spence had a Group with him who were
part of this deception plan and that their job "to inflate rubber battleships
when the wind was right” was an actual fact. Besides their other gear
he noticed that they carried large air compression tanks. Apparently
the idea was to give the Germans the impression that there was another
fleet.
That day Gunning saw a German officer who had been taken prisoner and as
he was led down to the beach this officer caught his first sight of the
invasion fleet. Quite audibly but under his breath Gunning heard him
say as he sadly shook his head "And Hitler told us they had no ships left.”
At that moment Gunning felt rather sorry for the German's disillusionment;
the time was about 7 p.m.
Gunning=wants us to include specially a mention of his good friend
Major C.K "Banger” King who as he went in with the first wave read
from Shakespeare’s "HenryV” out loud to his men the following line
”We would not die in that man's company
That fears his fellowship to die with us”
and
"He that outlives this day and comes safe home
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is named”
”Banger” King - News Chronicle extract description
King read these lines to him men over a loud hailer.
Gunning remembers a few days before D-Day being at a luncheon with Field
Marshal Montgomery and the Commanding Officer and members of his staff
of the Royal Ulster Rifles - part of the 3rd Division- who were to go
in on the initial assault some of them in the Airborne units some of
them in the other units. Montgomery asked if they had any problem and
Gunning remembers the CO saying "We do, Sir, - one. We can’t very well
go into battle with an English padre Sir, now can we? My men would like
an Irish one.” Montgomery turned to his aide and said, ”See that there
is an Irish padre here by tomorrow morning.” The following day, Gunning
found that there was not only one Irish padre kicking his heels, but three.
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