Cornelius Ryan WWII papers, box 021, folder 40: Denis Lovell

LOVELL, Denis Royal Marines Brit Release Int D Day Gold Release to PG. Box 21, #40

0730 GOLD LOVELL IX Le Hamel 47th Royal Marine Commandos

Haggis and the measles on trip over It all sounds dead easy. We'll be back in South hampton by the [crossed out] [illegible] [end crossed out] end of the week. Coming in - "No small arms fire - Nothing hitting us as we land" But boat sunk of obstacles

"Nothing much had happened - Couldn't help comparing it to an exercise back home.

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

What is your full name? DENIS LOVELL

What is your present address? 105 THE CRESCENT HORLEY SURREY

Telephone number:

What was your unit, division, corps? SIGNAL TROOP, 4 CDO. BDE. H.Q. ROYAL MARINES

Where did you land and at what time? NEAR LE HAMEL FIRST LIGHT :D: DAY 6.6.44

What was your rank and age on June 6, 1944? MARINE - 21 1/2 YEARS

Were you married at that time? NO

What is your wife's name? GLADYS

Did you have any children at that time? NO

When did you know that you were going to be part of the invasion? APPROX. 2ND WEEK IN MAY (SEE DIARY)

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? SEE DIARY

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.) BIGGEST RUMOUR CONCERNED THE "ATLANTIC WALL" SUPPOSED TO EXIST IN THE AREA OF OUR LANDING AND TO BE UN-PASSABLE, BUT WHICH PROVED TO BE NON-EXISTENT

Did you by any chance keep a diary of what happened to you that day? DIARY ENCLOSED

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? THE SIGHT ON OUR BEACH OF THE CREW OF AN OUT-OF-ACTION TANK "BREWING - UP" AMIDST ALL THE COMMOTION, AND JUST INLAND, A SOLITARY FRENCHMAN WORKING IN A FIELD APPARANTLY QUITE UNAWARE OF WHAT WAS GOING ON AROUND HIM.

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

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? SEVERAL OF MY OWN UNIT WITH WHOM I AM STILL IN TOUCH, BUT I WOULD PREFER TO CONTACT THEM BEFORE GIVING NAMES AND ADDRESSES.

What do you do now? I AM EMPLOYED IN THE GRINDING DEPT. OF AN ENGINEERING FIRM.

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

The Reader's Digest

THE READER'S DIGEST ASSOCIATION LIMITED

TELEPHONE: CITY 4342

7 OLD BAILEY LONDON E C 4

CABLES: READIGEST, LONDON

INTERVIEW WITH MR. DENIS LOVELL

Mr. Denis Lovell was a Marine, 21 1/2 years on D-Day. He was attached to the Signals Troop, 4th Commando Brigade Headquarters of the Royal Marines and he landed near Le Hamal on Gold Beach. This interview supplements the extracts from his diary which we have. Also they do not include the additional notes which Miss Isaacs took on the subject, which will be added later.

Lovell was attached to a radio team and he had a special radio set which was mounted in a jeep. The jeep was not with him; the jeep was under the control and presumably the protection of a driver. The whole troop came over in a parent ship called "THE PRINCESS JOSEPHINE CHARLOTTE", a Belgian ship, and it carried the whole of the 47th Royal Marine Commando. The night before landing a Scotsman, who he believes was named Haggis - presumably a nickname, was sitting beside him on the deck. Lovell turned round at one point in the conversation and said to him "look at those spots on your arms; I think you've got the measles". Haggis looked at them and said "to Hell I have". Haggis did everything to hide the spots, but without avail. Many others now began to notice his predicament and he was the subject of quiet ribbing such as "how is it done?", and "this is a bright way to do it", and "so that's how you get out of going on an engagement". Anyway, Haggis was not allowed to go ashore. He was sent back to England.

The marines had options on what weapons they wanted and the conversation was "what's the best to take". They could take a rifle or a Bren Gun or a Tommy Gun; whatever was easiest and best to carry.

There were about 150 to 200 in his particular operation, according to Lovell. (I later found out there was more than that -

DE WITT WALLACE, U.S.A. LILA BELL WALLACE, U.S.A. LUCIUS F. CRANE T.G.M. HARMAN, MANAGING DIRECTOR.