ENPages
Page 2
Ack
13.5
x
THE ASSAULT LANDINGS IN NORMANDY
D DAY: MIDNIGHT JUNE 5 — MIDNIGHT JUNE 6
What is your full name? John Thomas Manners Mason
What is your present address? 48 Priory Road Kew Richmond Surrey
Telephone number: Richmond 7012
What was your unit, division, corps? No 4. Commando ISS Bde 3. Div on landing 6th Airborne on crossing Orne Bridges
Where did you land and at what time? H + 1/2 hr app. 6th June Ouistreham [for?] the casino then on to to gun battery then to [hanger?].
What yas your rank and age on June 6, 1944? Private 24 yrs old
Were you married at that time? No
What is your wife's name? ENA
Did you nave any children at that time? No
When did you know that you were going to be part of the invasion? I think really from early days of planning although place of landing was not known until we were at sea 4-5th June
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? Pleasant on the parent craft the old 'Maid of Orleans' she was afterwards mined. Very choppy on landing craft Immense pride at being part of the invasion fleet the scene off south sea on the 4th June was terrific A lot of cards were played with new invasion money (Francs)
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.) Not really. Remember we were experienced soldiers. Some thought it may be "Another Exercise." But even this rumour was not valid after 4th June. We were very anxious that the operation should [underline] not [end underline] be cancelled.
Did you by any chance keep a diary of what happened to you that day? No.
Page 3
2.
Were any of your friends killed or wounded either during the landing or during the day? Many
Do you remember any conversations you had with them before they became casualties? [crossed out] My troop leader was convinced he would be killed and [end crossed out]
Were you wounded? Not until D + 2 or 3
How were you wounded? Shrapnel - head (not too serious) i.e I'm normal
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? Like being hit on the back of the head with a sledge hammer.
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 out- of-place? The way men who were hit bowled over like shot rabbits. I've never shot at or destroyed an animal since that day.
Do you recall any incident, sad or heroic, or simply memorable, that struck you more than anything else? As we were embarking on the landing craft from Parent Ship, I saw the little winking lights in the dawn light. They were the lights on the life jackets of sailors whose ship had hit a mine. Nobody seemed to bother but I thought of the tragedy that was being [enacted?]
Page 4
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? A friend who had a nasty wound - a bullet through his shoulder, saluting his troop leader who was sheltering from mortar fire, with his H.O. around him, and asking for permission to fall out to get his wound dressed.
This friend is an ex public school boy and very [pulha?]. I've given his address below.
We are still very good friends
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?
Eric Bates Briggs Wimborne Stoughton Drive North Leichter
The Secretary Army Commando Old Comrades Association
Page 5
Could you mention the [wonl?] of the Pioneer Corps [stretcher?] beavers who landed with the beach groups? They are never mentioned in any book I've read. These men, working I believe, under the direction of R.A.M.C., did a wonderful job without the glamour of belonging to a crack unit like ours on the [parachutist?] The name really also applies to the allies beach groups working on bringing in supplies.
I have vivid memories of R.E.s building a bridge over the Orne under shell fire but this must have been D+2
Tremendous liason between Naval F.O.O and their battle [cousins?] [bringing?] in support of us.
Some landing craft in front of us were badly hit. I saw the naval coxswain of our landing craft sit back in a horror then pull himsepf together for the run in. I think he was only about twenty.
Jon T.M. Mason.
P.S. I shall be pleased to answer any further questions or enlarge the above. Best of luck with the book.
J.M.