Cornelius Ryan WWII papers, box 022, folder 03: Alfred McGowan

McGOWAN, Alfred 6th Airborne Box 22, #3

THE ASSAULT LANDINGS IN NORMANDY D DAY: MIDNIGHT JUNE 5 — MIDNIGHT JUNE 6 What is your full name? Alfred McGowan What is your present address? 27 Somersall St., Mansfield, Notts Telephone number: What was your unit, division, corps? 6th Airborne Divisional Provost Co'y C.M.P. Where did you land and at what time? Janville near Troarn, approximately 25 minutes past midnight What was your rank and age on June 6? L/Cpl age 31 Were you married at that time? no What is your wife's name? Dora Did you have any children at that time? no When did you know that you were going to be part of the invasion? About the 3rd of June, previously we thought it was just another exercise What was the trip like during the crossing of the Channel? Do you remember, for example, any conversations you had or how you passed the time? Very quiet until we reached the French coast then we were buffeted by the flac a little. Conversation centred mostly on last briefings and a few light hearted jokes and singing Were there any rumours aboard plane? (Some people remember hearing that the Germans had poured gasoline on the water and planned to set it afire when the troops came in.) No rumours had reached us; security had been too strict and we had been confined for a fortnight Did you by any chance keep a diary of what happened to you that day? No diaries allowed for security reasons

2. Were any of your friends killed or wounded either during the landing or during the day? many friends were killed and wounded Do you remember any conversations you had with them before they became casualties? Many conversations; but to relate them all would take too long, taking into account that everyone in the division I was proud to call a friend. Were you wounded? not on this operation it was later on the Rhine crossing How were you wounded? 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? 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? Though I was dropped inside the German lines, it seems funny now to think I was for a few hours, almost brushing shoulders with JERRY; and was unaware that I was miles from where I should have been; I thought I was in the wrong war. Do you recall any incident, sad or heroic, or simply memorable, that struck you more than anything else? I cannot recall any incident during the first day as I was alone until the next day; when I met up with several others. It was a case of lying low, but I can recall how we were housed and fed in secrecy by a family who lived in a chateau until we left to make our way back to our

3. In times of great crisis, people generally show either great ingenuity or self-reliance; others do incredibly strange or stupid things. Do you remember any examples of either? yes - While we were with the French family they brought a Canadian pilot in, who had made a crash landing. A corporal in my party went out and destroyed the plane with a grenade; regardless we did gain some useful information. Do you know of anybody else who landed within the 24 hours (midnight 5 June to midnight 6 June) either as infantry, glider or airborne troops, whom we should write to? Mr A Haywood 60 Braithwell St Denaby Main Nr Doncaster Yorks What do you do now? I am a packer in a flour mill Please let us have this questionnaire as soon as possible, so that we can include your experiences in the book. We hope that you will continue your story on separate sheets if we have not left sufficient room. Full acknowledgement will be given in a chapter called "Where They Are Now." Cornelius Ryan Joan 0. Isaacs The Reader's Digest Would it be possible to obtain a copy when it is completed. Yours Truly A McGowan P.S. If I can help you further

Mr A McGowan 27 Somersall St Mansfield Notts 12-5-58, QS 15/5 Dear Sir, Regarding your ad in the "News of the World", I took part in the "D"-Day landings with the Airborne division, and would help you in any way. Yours Truly A McGowan