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1, Swallow Crescent, Wortley, Leeds. 12.
Dear Madam,
After reading the enclosed questionnaire, I am under the impression that the information you seek is from Army personnel, therefore I cannot complete same. However I will give you all the information I can.
At the time of the invasion, I was a member of the Royal Navy serving on an American built British manned Minesweeper. The flottila consisted of three ships, ‘‘Cato, Magic" and I can’t remember the name of the other ship. We had spent three weeks excerising with cruisers and Battleships and it was obvious to everybody that it was for the invasion of France.
We sailed from the Isle of Wight June 3rd on company with ships of all shapes and sizes. The sea was absolutely full of everything imaginable. I will never understand why the Germans never came into contact with us.
The weather that day suddently deteriorated it was like a hurricane, I guess there would be some foul lanuage from the troops in the landing craft for they (the craft) were never built for such conditions.
That night the Captain informed us that the invasion had been postponed for 24hours, believe me everybody was keyed up and edgy for we were at 1st degree of readiness all the time. The next day the weather improved and the buzz or rumour went round that this was 'it'. Personally I had 'Butterflies' not knowing what to expect. The sky that night was literally full of aircraft, thousands and that is saying something, as time past on we began to wonder why everything seemed so peacefull when suddenly there was a violent explosion and the sky was lit up as though it were daylight. We learned that a destroyer had struck a mine just ahead of us.
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It was in the early hours of the morning when I heard the rumbling of distant gunfire, as we slowly approached, the sky was lit up by flashes of gunfire. Destroyers were backwards and forwards laying down smokescreens as landing craft ploughed their way towards the beaches. One big transport was on fire and sinking and the horrible sight of swollen dead bodies floating by was enough to make the best sailor alive heave up.
Just after dawn in came the gliders filling the sky Jerry sure did give them a hot reception, and it was like a firework display. By now I was beginning to get over early fears for really I had a grandstand view of the biggest operation of the war.
Our main job was to keep the channel clear for shipping, and at night we anchored just off shore. This went on for sometime and I was getting used to it, when one day in the early hours of the morning the “Magic" started firing away, the next thing that happened she was struck by a torpedoe. We managed to pick up quite a good few survivors and got them all settled down. I was standing on the stern of the ship when there was bawling and shouting, the the orelikon guns opened fire on what I was told afterwards was a German midget submarine, there was a terrific explosion and the ship was immediatly listing. Of course my first reaction as panic gripped me was to jump overboared, if I had have done so I now realise I should have had no chance at all. Very soon there were boats alongside picking up survivors. However all the crew we had previously picked up, went down which was very unfortunate.
I was 22 years old unmarried my Rank Able/Seaman RN.
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1 Swallow Crescent Wortley Leeds 12 5th July Dear Sir QS. 8/7/58 After reading the June issue of "The Navy" I took part in the Normandy invasion, and would be pleased to assist you in any way. N Maltby
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15th July, 1958. Negative
N. Maltby, Esq., 1, Swallow Crescent, Wortley, Leeds 12.
Dear Mr. Maltby, Thank you very much for your recent letter. It was very good of you to write in such detail about your D-Day experiences. The material you have given us is extremely useful as it helps to fill in some of the details of the Navy's participation in D-Day. It may well be a year before the manuscript is published in The Reader's Digest, but at that time we will duly send you a copy of the issue with the story "The Longest Day" . Yours sincerely,
(Joan Ogle Isaacs)