Page 3

OverviewTranscribeVersionsHelp

Facsimile

Transcription

Status: Needs Review


2.

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

Pte. J. Leach killed had expressed that if he were
taken prisoner he would make models of aircraft in balsa wood.

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

Were you wounded?

yes

How were you wounded?

on sound of approaching low flying
aircraft to my left I noticed the absence of the white stripes
around fusulage realized at once "enemy aircraft" and at same time
wondered if there were any behind me and to my horror
saw red short flames emerging from the aircraft gun ports.

Do you remember what it was like —that is, do you remember whether you
felt any pain or were you so surprised that you felt nothing?

to be staring at the enemy Foche-wolfes guns blazing at me made
me feel I had been caught surprised and finished with. I saw a
million tiny black fragments but to this day dont know what it was
I felt extremely hot found myself on the ground looking for
somewhere to bury my head. I was afraid -- the plane would
return to blast my head off. I began to take stock of how I was
wounded but left it to the medics of whom I was with
left calf muscle lost from cannon burst bullet in finger shrapnel wounds numorous

Do you remember seeing or hearing anything that seems funny now, even though
it may not have seemed amusing at the time? Or anything unexpected or out-
of-place?

We were in rest area at the time of straffing.
Radio was blaring out "Mister Five By Five".
The attending medical man said my leg was like a pepper-pot.
My colonel said " good luck Humberstone you will make blighty
with that".

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

We, that is just a few of us from our aircraft
that took evasive action during the drop, had to find
our way out of the flooded fields and thought it wise
to proceed with care. On arriving at a fast flowing
river, we decided to find some means to cross but to
our surprise, one of the two Canadians on the opposite
bank began to wade across saying that it was quite safe.
to our horror we saw him drown before anybody
could get anywhere near him, too sudden and deep regret
was felt.

Notes and Questions

Nobody has written a note for this page yet

Please sign in to write a note for this page