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4 a.m. SWORD Juno red HMS SCYLLA OUIESTRAM
JOB
"On pom -pom anti-aircraft gun. Scylla headquarters ship of Admiral
Vian, carried no. of war reporters, no troops. Admiral Vian had a reputation
for going into things. He was on the Cossack when the Altmark was
rescued.
ON NAVAL BOMBARDMENT
"We waited for daybreak and watched the RAF finished off at about
4 a.m. I thought 'It's our turn, now'. The naval bombardment was a
non-stop barrage, of about one-half to three-quarters of an hour just
as day was breaking. Troops were going in while we were still bombarding.
'We were amzed not to see enemy aircraft anywhere.' We were a crew of
about 5 in charge of the gun. I was a gun layer; my trainer was a/s
Derek Parker, a particularly good friend. Another man on the gun, an
Irish marine, said 'We' ill give it to them' when I said 'We are going
at last.' 'In years to come, Capt. Browning had told us, ' you will be
able to tell your grandchildren that you took part in the liberation of
Europe. It is a great honour'
My brother, Ernest, 9 years older, had been taken prisoner in Greece
in 1941 and was in Stalag 383. I thought of him most of the time: did he
know what was going on; how did he feel. I thought this was one day nearer
to his release.
While we were still bombarding, we could see the Commandos going
ashore. They passed Scylla in little boats and gave us the 'thumbs up'
salute. They didn't have steel helmets just their green berets. I thought
as they passed 'I don't think I could do that-- they 've got plenty of
courage.' Rocket guns, attached to the landing craft, were being fired
onshore as the troops went in. Bigger alanding ships were in after
Commandos, with tanks, lorries, etc. I saw a German tnak on the beach
moving blowly, then blown up by ship's gunfire. I don't know whether
Scylla or Warspite close by got it.
8 a.m.
First survivors were brought aboard. They had blankets thrown around
them and stil some of them wore their green berets. They were given a tot of
rum and cigarettes. Many were badly wounded, nearly all were
stretcher cases, but they were cheerful. Scylla's recreation room was
converted into a sick room. Our surgeons took care of them. It was
the first time I had seen wounded. I thought: "I'd like to be going back
home but not the way they are going." I would have given anything to be
in London just then. I remember clearly the pain on the face of one
man was he was lifted abroad.
IMPRESSIONS OF THE BEACH
It looked like a mass of men with little German resistence. Mines
were blown up, scattered along the beach with obstacles. We saw one plane
a JU 88. She flew low over our mast but didn't fire. We didn't use
the pom -pom all day after the early morning bombardment.
FAMILY
"Mum heard it on the radio. She said she never slept for days,
couldn't do the houework. I was the youngest of three boys. I learned
later that Ernest, my pow brother, had a radio in Stalag. A
German guard came to them said, 'It won't be long now.'