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McDOUGALL, Colin C.
Canadian 3rd Can. Div.
BOX 24, #54
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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? Colin Campbell McDougall
What was your unit and division? Canadian Army Film and Photo Unit with 3rd Canadian Infantry Division
Where did you arrive in Normandy, and at what time? Near Berniere sur Mer.[crossed out] [illegible] [end crossed out] About 7 or 8 PM
What was your rank on June 6, 1944? Captain
What was your age on June 6, 1944? 34
Were you married at that time? Yes
What is your wife's name? Edith Mae McDougall
Did you have any children at that time? one child about one year old which I had not seen at that time
What do you do now? Deputy Director of Public Relations (with the Army) [inserted] Ottawa [end inserted]
When did you know that you were going to be part of the invasion? Early May 44 when I returned from Italy and was posted to the unit preparing for the invasion
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 trip was very uneventful. We loaded on an LST at Southampton a couple of days before we sailed on the afternoon of 5 June Can't remember any particular conversation but we all had been fully briefed and everyone exuded confidence in the outcome. I slept part of the night but was up at first light to see what was going on. I could dimly make out the mine sweepers up ahead and recall the sound of our planes roaring by above us.
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) . Don't recall any wild rumours.
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- for Cornelius Ryan 2 - Your name Colin McDougall
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 landing or during the day? No
Do you remember any conversations you had with them before they became casualties:
Were you wounded? Not on D. Day
Do you remember what it was like--that is, do you remember whether you felt any pain or were so surprised that you felt nothing?
Do you remember seeing or hearing anything that seems funny now, even though it may not have seemed funny at the time? We loaded off the LST onto a flat sort of steel barge called a Rhino some distance from shore. The "Rhino" was powered by two oversize outboard motors and we had a great deal of difficulty navigating since the tide was running out and a steady breeze blowing. Instead of getting into shore where we were supposed to land the barge somehow or other got blown way down shore and into a mine field. At the low tide which existed at the time the poles stuch up out of the water with the bottle like mine attached at the top. We struch one of the poles but luckily owing to the low draft of the barge the mine did not detonate. It seems we spent nearly all afternoon getting out of that mine field and getting the Rhino straightened out for the run into shore. When we got there, the fighting on that section of beach was all over and we went ashore quite peacefully.
Do you recall any incident, sad or heroic or simply memorable, which struck you more than anything else? No
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- for Cornelius Ryan 3 Your name
In times of great crisis, people generally show either great ingenuity or self-reliance; others do incredibly stupid things. Do you remember any examples of either from D-Day?
When we got all tangled up in the mine field a British Lt Colonel took over command of the craft from the navy lad who had been running things. He seemed at a complete loss as to what to do with his awkward craft. The Lt Col I mentioned got us "unstuck"
Where were you at midnight on June 5, 1944? Aboard an LST somewhere on the English Channel
Where were you at midnight on June 6, 1944? on the beach at Berniere sur Mer
Do you know of anybody else who landed within the 24 hours of D-day, June 6, as infantry, glider or airborne troops, or who took part in the air and sea operations, whom we should write to?
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;" YOUR NAME AND VOCATION OR OCCUPATION WILL BE LISTED.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP .
W.A. Milroy Lt.-Col. Director of Public Relations (Army) Cartier Square, Ottawa, Ontario