ryan_box023-tld_f49_03

-for Cornelius Ryan 2-
Your name: Arthur H. Boon

Did you by any chance keep a diary of what happened to you that day? No.

Were any of your friends killed or wounded either during the landing or
during the day? Yes. Some of my friends were killed and wounded
during the day of June 6th 1944.

Do you remember any conversations you had with them before they became
casualties? No one on my Landing Craft was killed or wounded
on the landing, but I had friends on some of the other
crafts who [crossed out] where [end crossed out] were hit. Our Regiment was spread out onto
several landing craft and after we loaded in England I never
had a chance to talk to any of my friends on the other crafts
until after we made the assault on the beaches of Normandy.

Were you wounded? Not on the Invasion, but I was wounded
later in Holland.

Do you remember what it was like--that is, do you remember whether you
felt any pain or were surprised that felt nothing?
When I was hit I felt a sharp pain, and very surprised and
once I saw the blood coming from my hand I realized what
had happened and grabbed the wound to stop the bleeding.

Do you remember seeing or hearing anything that seems funny now, even
though it may not have seemed funny at the time?
When we were making our run in on the beach, the
rudder of our landing craft was damaged by shell-fire
and we just kept going around in circles and couldn't get
in close enough to land until the navy fixed the rudder. It
didn't seem very humourous at the time, but now when I
look back on it, we must have looked rather foolish going
around in circles with shells dropping all around us, and every
one else heading for the beach. We must of had a lot of luck
with us that day as we never got hit again and were able
to land without losing a man or tank off our craft.

Do you recall any incident, sad or heroic or simply memorable, which struck
you more than anything else?
I recall very plainly an incident which has stayed
with me ever since that "D" Day Landing. As the tank I was
on came off the landing craft and we moved across
the beach the sniping and shell-fire was quite heavy, and as
we moved up a road exit from the beach I saw an elderly
woman carrying a small baby running towards the beach.
I'll never forget the expression of fear that was written on
her face. I have often wondered since whether they survived
that day.