ryan_box023-tld_f42_02r

Excerpt.
For Cornelius Ryan
Book about D-day

THOUSANDS OF MEN, ON LAND AND SEA AND IN THE AIR,
PARTICIPATED IN THE INVASION OF NORMANDY BETWEEN MIDNIGHT
JUNE 5, 1944 AND MIDNIGHT JUNE 6, 1944. IF YOU WERE
ONE OF THEM, PLEASE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.
What is your full name?
James Ernest Anderson
What was your unit and division?
North Shore (NB) Regt. 8 Bde 3 Can. Div.
Where did you arrive in Normandy, and at what time?
St. Aubin Sur Mer. We were an assault battalion and landed at H hr. I
remember the time was delayed a few minutes to allow the L. C. A's to get
into position.
What was your rank on June 6, 1944?
Major [check mark]
What was your age on June 6, 1944?
32
Were you married at that time? Yes
What is your wife's name? Marion Harvey Anderson
Did you have any children at that time?
Yes. One son, born 1940.
What do you do now?
Deputy Minister, Social Services.
Province of New Brunswick
When did you know that you were going to be part of the
invasion? We all took it for granted that we would be part of the invasion
force as we did assault training as early as 1942. During the year and one
half before D-day we did continued training in combined operations on the
South Coast of England and in Scotland.
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?
See back of this page.
What were the rumors on board the boat, ship or plane in which
you made the crossing? (Some people remember scuttlebut to the
effect that the Germans had poured gasoline on the water and
planned to set it afire when the troops came in).
There were no rumors on the ship that I remember hearing.