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Sergeant James "Paddy" Percival de Lacy was an Irishman from Dundalk.

He landed at Courseulles at 0730 on D-Day. De Lacy fell in with a Sgt.
Paddy McQuaid "Begasus the bastards are trying to drown me even before
I get ashore".

The PO said to them "Well, I'd rather it was you than me going in". He
offered them both "something to quieten their nerves". McQuaid said,
"This'll help take aim at the first German bastard I See".

All leave had been cancelled for Irishmen in the forces to Ireland.
All letters from Ireland to Irish soldiers were held up and had to be
sent to third persons to be forwarded.

He remembers the bagpipes playing "The Rose of Trallee".

They drank toasts "May the blessins of Ireland look down on you."

Other toasts - "Here's to De Valera - he's keepin us out of the war".
De Valera joke "I can offer you anything Mr. Churchill except a little port."

de Lacy had been in the army for 21 years on D-Day. He had been at Dunkirk.

"You're going to hear a lot of noice but the sounds will be worse than
the actual thing - don't be timid, if your name is on it you'll get it".

McQuaid said, "Some of them are a little timid."

They went in on the 2nd wave in a Landing Assault Craft.

McQuaid said, "Come out ye bastards and fight us now".

Their perimeter was only about 600 yards from the beach. His job with
his ten men was to work with the beach control group checking in troops
and supplies.

At about 9 he decided to make tea. The officer said, "Look sergeant, this
is no time to make tea". de Lacy said, "Sir why don't you go away and
come back in five minutes". "We're not playing soldiers now, this is the
real thing."

The sergeant moved up the beach and saw a movement in the hedgerow. He
fired a sten and a dozen Germans came out. He had lost a brother in
North Africa. "Come out you bastards and if you make a move, God help you."

They were dumbfounded. He turned around tothis little cockney and said
"Look at these super blokes - just look at them - here take them out of me
sight."

. . .

That afternoon he saw an American sailor from one of the American landing
craft calmly walking down the beach with a Bren gun. "Where the bloody
hell are you going with that?" "One of your fellows just sold it to me
for 2,000 cigarettes." This was to the Company Sergeant Major "Paddy,
what do you think of that bastard - what the hell is the Army coming to?"

. . .

Sergeant McKay was called "Mac". He waded out three times to get lorries
off an LST. "Paddy, I must get them off. I must save that petrol".
The LST was blazing. He drove them off one at a time. But as he climbed
into the fourth truck up it went.

11 a.m. Sniper incident - One of his section reported finding flap(?).
Paddy picked up a bren gun and took a couple of men with him. "Alright
stand back. Now pick up the lid. If there's anybody in there, he's
dead now". "Ah the poor fella - well all's fair in love and war."

They had been led to believe there would be 75% casualties. That night
Paddy checked up and found that although several of his section had been