Cornelius Ryan WWII papers, box 021, folder 33: Donald Edwin Kimber

Over the place in one of these so and so's. But then I thought again its no picnic what those poor devils have got to do when they get there after all they've got to start long before we get there all on there own with no supprt- Untill we land some hours [illegible] Anyhow we pressed on passed careing whether we would sink or not. It was begining to get light now I knew we must be getting near now, and the butterflys in my tummy were at it again. The sea wasn't helping any we were still plunging and rolling violently. There was a terrific wind blowing now makeing the waves pile higher and higher I still began to wonder wether we would get there or not. On and on we went soon we were to sight some big ships ahead of us. As we got nearer we found out that they were the ships with the troops on board that it was going to be our job to take them in We were about 4 miles off the coast now and our craft was [illegible] against the side of one of the troop ships one minute we were near to the top of the ships side, the next we were about 15 ft lower. Soon the scrambling nets were thrown over the side and troops began to clam-ber down them into the Craft below after much effort had been made by the troops to get into the landing Craft the Flotilla formed up ready with what seemed like hundreds of other Landing Craft ready to make the last stage of our journey to the beaches. As we approached nearer to the beaches I noticed that almost everybody was in a cold sweat including myself I think its fear that does it. We were getting very close now about 6 or 7 hundred yds I suppose it was I could see that the [illegible] landing craft had already landed and tanks were going up the beaches German 88 MM guns were firing at them several tanks got direct hits but others came on out of the Craft We had no time to see how they got on as our own Craft was begining to get close now we were starting by to lower the Ramp for our troops to four out About 200 yds or so ahead of us was a wall where there were Germans fireing from the top of it. As we got nearer they swept us with machine gun, and when we were almost on the beach threw Grenades of which one landed in the Craft falling some of the troops I almost at once felt a stinging pain on my forehead followed by a floating sensation which was the blast. I must have passed out for a couple of minutes, but on recovering found that during my fall to the deck I had broekn my right Index finger but was other wise O.K. In the mean time what troops that were O.K. had all gone dashing out up the beach and outs the road , by now Craft were landing all over the place troops were pouring out and getting off the beach as soon as they could, because there were still some 88MMs fireing on fixed lines directly accross the beaches. The Navies big boys were shelling fortifications a few miles iland now my ^ FINGER was begining to ache a bit now and I had a splitting headache, after a few hours the beaches on our post were begining to be cleared of the Germans. for the rest of that day we back out to ships standing about 2 miles out and filled our Craft up with Stores etc. and were back to the beach and unlashing them on the road which was now cleared of Germans In the evening I went along to a beach dressing station, which had had a rather busy day

BR E Gold Marine Donald Edwin Kimber ’"Kim” aged 17-g- at the time of D-Day - joined up under age - was on the crew of an LCA as a deckhand. There were four of them on the crew and they went in on Gold Beach. His ICA was filled with Scots troops - maybe the Kings Own Scottish Borderers or the Gordon Highlanders. As they went in he heard a piper playing on another ICA and when they were a few hundred yards off the shore, he saw and counted nine Germans lying down on the sea wall firing machine guns at them. These were the first German soldiers he had ever seen and immediately he heard bullets banging on the ramp of the ICA. Everybody was scared but there were only a few casualties among the troops. Nobody said anything. He caught his mate’s eye, Marine Stan Harrison, and they just looked at one another. Then as they got closer to the shore, he saw that the Germans were throwing hand grenades. Just as the order was given for ”Stand by to lower ramps” there was a sudden explosion and an or[crossed out]g[end crossed out]ange flash. That was all he remembered for a few moments. When he came to the ramp was down, several men were lying on the deck with one man holding a bleeding head and moaning. THeremaining men in the boat were told ”leave them leave them, get up the beach”. Young Kimber was afraid to discover how badly wounded he was. He felt blood trickling down his nose and turning to his pal, Stan, said, ’’tell me the honest to God truth, will I live?” to which Stand replied ”what are you worrying about, you’ll live.” He also then discovered that his index finger had been broken but that he could only feel the pain ’"when he looked at it”. He put a dressing on his head and with his finger untended for the remainder of the day, ferried troops and suppliers - ammunition, gasoline, etc.- onto thebeach. Thatnight as he looked along the beach he saw a cluster of wreckage of all sorts. Besides the bodies and the wounded there fires on the ICAs big and small, boxes cans and other flotsamand jetsam floating at the water’s edge. He remembers saying to Stan "I know I’ll never see anything like this again”.

"Kim" Marine Donald Edwin Kimber, 17 1/2 at time of D-Day (joined up underage) was on crew od LCAs deckland among other jobs (4 on crew) GOLD beach. Troop were [crossed out] Howards [end crossed out] Gordon Highlander

Heard pipes playing on another LCA as it came in. Saw about nine men G's lying down on [?where funny?] machine [?illegible?]. These were first G soilders we'd see. This was they made their run in. As they came there were one or two casulties among troops but nothing serious- everybody was scared. He caught his mate's eye- marine Stan Harrison. They didn't say anything just looked at one another. Began throwing grenades as boat was on beach He was getting [?reach in?] lower ramp. ("Staunch, it's lower ramp") when suddenly there was an orange flash and that was all he remembered for a few moments. When he came to the ramp was down and several men went lying on bottom J deck- [?one?]

man holding a bleeding head saying "oh my head" "Leave him- get up the beach." ==== Cpl "Creaky" Denis - because his boots creaked. ==== He wanted to cry. as blood trickled down his nose he turned to Stan + said "Tell me the truth- how bad is it" "oh you'll live."

Remainder of the day with his head bandaged (his index finger broken and bent back on itself "but he only felt the pain of his finger when he looked at it") but his finger untended, he ferried supplies back & forth. - ammo, gasoline etc.

"I'll never see anything like this again." That night- the [abuse?] of [?]on beach- bodies, supplies, fines LCA's big, mail out z??

Cpl Denis was coxswain.

[crossed out] Sandy [end crossed out] fair haired with a lite moustashe- youthful- good looking. blue-eyed.

6 Bishops Hill Road, Brentwood, Essex. 30.5.58 5 JUN 1958 Tel- Q.S. 5/6/58 Dear Sir, With reference to your addin the "Evening-News" concerning D. DAY I took part in the first landings in Normandy in the early hours of June 6th 1944. In a Landing Craft Flotilla of "Royal Marines" Haveing travelled the whole of the way, from Southhampton, some 100 miles under our own steam in a Minor Landing Craft, which I can well remember as being a very roughpassage, and full of incedent. Yours truly D. E. Kimber