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Ack 29/5/58 THE ASSAULT LANDINGS IN NORMANDY D DAY: MIDNIGHT JUNE 5 -- MIDNIGHT JUNE 6 What is your full name? John Arthur Slapp What is your present address? c/o Station Staff Officer Essen British Forces Post Office 34 Telephone number: What was your unit, division, corps? 1st Bn The Royal Norfolk Regt. 185 Inf Bdg. 3RD. British Infantry Division Where did you land and at what time? Ouistreham, near mouth of the River Orne, at about 05 30 AM What was your rank and age on June 6, 1944? Cpl. age 27 years (Section Comdr) Were you married at that time? What is your wife's name? Did you have any children at that time? When did you know that you were going to be part of the invasion? We were told that we were taking part in a major operation, but we were not told it was to be the [crossed out] [illegible] [end of crossed out] Invasion until the 2 week in May when we were in J2. sealed camp at Haywards Heath 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? The crossing was rough, but everbody was tense and only forced conversation was made most spent their time cleaning weapons and card playing. When the word was given our special maps were opened and we had our final briefing. Everyone was anxious to get at the enemy and very little was said. Some passed the time away having their hair cut and the popular [crossed out] [illegible] [end of crossed out] style was to leave a V in the centre of the head. Were there any rumours aboard ship? (Some people remember hearing that the Germans had poured gasoline on the water and planned to set it afire when the troops came in.)
Did you by any chance keep a diary of what happened to you that day? No
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Were any of your friends killed or wounded either during the landing or during the day? yes - Pte Woolf a stretcher bearer was killed as well as my Platoon Sgt. Hollax. other members of my Coy killed during the day. Cpl Coton, Pte Lambert Pte Attea Pte Baldwin Pte Hurrell
Do you remember any conversations you had with them before they became casualties? No.
Were you wounded? Not on D. Day.
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 outof-place?
Do you recall any incident, sad or heroic, or simply memorable, that struck you more than anything else?
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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? NONE.
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? Ex L/Sgt Shepherd now a School Caretaker at Norwich Norfolk address unknown Ex C/Sgt Toll C/o 4th Bn T.A.R. Norfolk Regt Britannia Brks Norwich Lt Col Brinkly 1st Bn Royal Norfolk Regt BAOR 24 Ex Sgt Turner C/o QM Stores Depot Royal Norfolk Regt Norwich
What do you do now? I am now employed as Chief Clerk Station Staff Office Essen dealing with married Qtrs. and Garrison Admin
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 O. Isaacs The Reader's Digest
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2323842 C/Sgt Slapp J. Royal Norfolk Regt. c/o Station Staff Office Essen British Forces Post Office 34 13-5-58 [stamped: 16 May 1958] 1) Extract
Dear Sir or Madam Ref your advertisement in The News of the World on Sunday, 11 May I am writing to say that I took part in the D day landings with the 3rd British Infantry division 185 Brigade which consisted of 1st Bn R. Norfolk Regt, The Royal Warwicks and KSLI. We sailed from Newhaven on June the 4th and landed at 6 AM on June 6th. I have a copy of my Regt history, which I am willing to lend to you if it will be any assistance.
Yours Faithfully J Slapp C/Sgt.
[Q. S. 16th]