Cornelius Ryan WWII papers, box 020, folder 12: Thomas A. W. Cole

COLE, Thomas A. W. British 50 T. T. Div 30 Corps BOX 20, #12

THE ASSAULT LANDINGS IN NORMANDY D DAY: MIDNIGHT JUNE 5 -- MIDNIGHT JUNE 6

ack 6/6/58

What is your full name? THOMAS ARTHUR WILLIAM COLE

What is your present address? 3 SAGEVILLAS, ELMSTEAD MARKET, COLCHESTER, ESSEX.

Telephone number:

What was your unit, division, corps? E. TROOP, 462 BATTERY, 86 FIELD (SP) REGIMENT R.A. (HERTFORDSHIRE YEOMANRY) 50 T.T. DIVISION, 30 CORPS.

Where did you land and at what time? ARROMANCHES, 0745HRS APPROX. "D DAY"

What was your rank and age on June 6, 1944? GUNNER, 19YRS 9 MONTHS

Were you married at that time? NO

What is your wife's name?

Did you nave any children at that time?

When did you know that you were going to be part of the invasion? SOME DAYS BEFORE "D" DAY, I THINK A FORTNIGHT OR SO.

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? FROM SOUTHAMPTON 16 HRS ON A L.C.T.. VERY ROUGH SEA'S. EVERYBODY SICK INCLUDING SAILORS. L.C.T. LOADED WITH TANKS ALL TRYTO BREAK [crossed out] BREAK [end crossed out] LOOSE FROM HOLDING DOWN CHAINS. A GREAT DEAL OF TIME AND EFFORT KEEPING THESE AT TENSION OUR SELF PROPELLED 25PDRS WERE TO FIRE FROM SHIP TO BEACH SO GUNS AND AMMO HAD TO BE PREPARED TO OPEN FIRE FROM APPROX 5 MILES SHORT OF BEACH. MANY NASTY REMARKS TO HITLER AND CO CHALKED ON ROUNDS TO BE FIRED. WATERPROOFING OF VEHICLES CAREFULLY CHECKED EXPECTED TO LAND IN ABOUT 3FT OF WATER. LANDED IN 4FT. LITTLE OR NO SLEEP.

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.) ON BRIEFING WE HAD BEEN TOLD THAT WE WOULD PROBALY SEE THE AIRBOURNE ARMADA, AS WE DID NOT SEE A SINGLE PLANE ON THE JOURNEY WE WERE CONVINCED THAT THE WEATHER WAS TOO TOUGH FOR THEM. RUMOURS WERE THAT THE AIRBORNE LANDING HAD BEEN CANCELLED.

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

2.

Were any of your friends killed or wounded either during the landing or during the day? YES, BUT NONE SO CLOSE FRIENDS THAT I CAN REMEMBER DETAILS

Do you remember any conversations you had with them before they became casualties? WE HAD BEEN TOLD BEFORE THAT WOUNDED WOULD BE EVACUATED, WHERE POSSIBLE, ON THE EMPTY CRAFT RETURNING TO U.K. HENCE ANYBODY WITH WOUNDS NOT TOO SERIOUS WOULD BE CALLED [?A?] LUCKY SO AND SO

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? ONE OF OUR TROOP WAS STRUCK BY A WASTE MISSILE IN A VERY TENDER PLACE AND WAS DOUBLED UP WITH AGONY. HE WAS HELPED AWAY UP THE BEACH WHERE THE WOUNDED WERE BEING ASSEMBLED FOR EVACUATION. WHILST WAITING HIS TURN HE NOTICED ONE OF THE SMALL CRAFT.FERRYING WOUNDED, TO LARGER CRAFT STANDING OFF THE BEACH, OVER TURN IN THE ROUGH SEAS AND DROWN ALOT OF STRETCHR CASES WHO WERE STRAPPED DOWN, DESPITE HIS PAIN HE RETURNED TO US SAYING HE PREFERED TO TAKE HIS CHANCES WITH US THAN RISK THE BOAT JOURNEY. HE EVENTUALY GOT OVER HIS INJURY WITHOUT MEDICAL AID AND SURVIVED THE REST OF THE WAR.

Do you recall any incident, sad or heroic, or simply memorable, that struck you more than anything else? frogmen AFTER BEACHING FROM THE L.C.T.s WE TOOK UP GUN POSITIONS, ON THE ONLY BIT OF FRANCE WE HAD, THE BEACH. FROGMAN WERE IN ACTION ON THE BEACH REMOVING OBSTACLES AND GENERALY ASSISTING IN ANY AND EVERYTHING. A LANDING CRAFT PROPELLOR SEEMED TO BE DRAGING A FROGMAN TOWARDS IT. ANOTHER FROGMAN WENT TO HIS AID. THEY BOTH APPEARED TO BE SUCKED DOWN AND AROUND WITH THE PROP. IN THE HUSTLE AND BUSTLE GOING ON IN THE WATER AT THAT TIME THEY BE MIGHT WELL HAVE BEEN CLEARED FROM MY VIEW. BUT THE SIGHT HAS STUCK ON MY MIND AND I AM SURE THAT THEY DID GO ROUND THE PROP. AND TO A HORRIBLE DEATH.

3.

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?

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?

What do you do now? MACHINE TOOL INSPECTOR, COLCHESTER LATHE COMPANY.

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."

Cornelius Ryan Joan O. Isaacs The Reader's Digest

Extract [?Men view?]

Mr T Cole 3 Sage Villas, Elmstead Market, Colchester Essex

27MAY1958 Q.S. 27/7/58

Dear Sir,

I took part in the "D" Day landing and remained on active service till the end of the European campaign. I was a gunner in the 86 Field Regiment R.A. supporting 50 Division. I am interested in anything connected with the operation and altho my assistence may the very small, I would be pleased to help you if required

Yours faithfully T. Cole