Cornelius Ryan WWII papers, box 020, folder 07: John Godfrey W. Charnaud

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CHARNAUD, Capt John Godfrey W. Sword--101 Beach Sub-Area Int. Box 20, #7

SWORD Finished

Last edit 11 months ago by MaryV
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ACK 13/5

[underlined] THE ASSAULT LANDINGS IN NORMANDY [end underlined]

D DAY: MIDNIGHT JUNE 5 — MIDNIGHT JUNE 6

What is your full name? JOHN GODFREY WORSLEY CHARNAUD.

What is your present address? THE CROSS, LLAN BLETHIAN, GLAM. + 508 PARK WEST, LONDON. W.2.

Telephone number: COWBRIDGE 411. . AMBASSADOR 7733-508.

What was your unit, division, corps? HQ 101 Beach Sub- Area. (attached to) Royal Fusiliers

Where did you land and at what time? 6 June. [insert] [underlined] Sword landed 10:00 [end underlined] [end insert]

What was your rank and age on June 6, 1944? Capt. 32.

Were you married at that time? Yes

What is your wife's name? Sheila. (at that time)

Did you have any children at that time? Two.

When did you know that you were going to be part of the invasion? Early '43 when posted to Beach unit Not definitely 'put in picture' & in Top Secret capacity at earliest planning of 'Overlord'. Later in '43.

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? Smooth. Normal conversation prior to an action - possiblity of coming through alive or uninjured etc. speculation on [?the?] reactions of self & individuals. probable reception - usual remarks on French girls & possibility of making their acquaintance at earliest possible moment, in other words nothing exceptional. Most of the time I slept.

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.) I heard none - we were all very confident of the security, Felt sure the enemy were not expecting us. Did you by any chance keep a diary of what happened to you that day? No. But I have a few of the maps, aerial photos issued to us which I think I could dig out if any help.

Last edit 3 months ago by LibrarianDiva
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2. Were any of your friends killed or wounded either during the landing or during the day? yes

Do you remember any conversations you had with them before they became casualties? No Were you wounded? no 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? I had never heard my C.O. Brig E.J. Montgomery O.B.E. use foul language although he could swear with the best of them if the necessity arose but on the beach my Amph. Jeep got stuck on a vault of timber, the Brig appeared just as I and my driver, Griggs was winching it off with the aid of a stranded tank. His language in telling us to leave it + press on inland was vivid to say the least + surprised even me who had been 6 months in the rank of the Royal Fusiliers. Fortunately he passed down the beach + we were all to continue + free it. We had to, it had all my gear in it. I never heard him use such languange in the next 2 years!

Do you recall any incident, sad or heroic, or simply memorable, that struck you more than anything else?

The report of the German officer + his girlfriend, both stark naked, found in a pill-box near the beach, quite dead, killed by the concussion of a shell from the Rodney indicating a measure of the unexpectedness of the attack. N.B. I did not see this but only heard it second hand.

Last edit 3 months ago by LibrarianDiva
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5 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 ?

I cannot recollect any

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?

A.A.E. Morgan 35 Harvard Court, Honeybourne Rd, London. N.W.6. L.N.S.B. Faulkner The Constititional Club Northumberland Av. W.C.2

H. Jankel North End Garage, Harrow, Mx A.C.A. Kibback MBE Mowden Lodge, Darlington, Co. Durham

What do you do now? Man. Dir. The Royal Sovereign Pencil Co Ltd Neasden, London N.W.10

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 Wow." Cornelius Ryan Joan 0. Isaacs The Reader’ s Digest

Last edit over 1 year ago by GailF
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BR E Charnaud Sword

Captain John Godfrey Worsley Charnaud heard a rumour that day that a German officer and his girl friend both stark naked had been found dead in a pillbox near the beach. Both had been killed by the concussion of a shell from HMS Rodney indicating the unpolitness of the attack.

Last edit 10 months ago by MaryV
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