Cornelius Ryan WWII papers, box 022, folder 12: Eric Morley

MORLEY, Eric Royal Navy Box 22, #12

THE ASSAULT LANDINGS IN NORMANDY D DAY: MIDNIGHT JUNE 5 — MIDNIGHT JUNE 6 What is your full name? Eric Morley. What is your present address? 22, Elm Grove, Worthing, Sussex. Telephone number: Worthing 6679. What was your unit, division, corps? Royal Navy. Where did you land and at what time? " Sword " Beach. 8 a.m. on June 5th. What was your rank and age on June 6, 1944? Lieutenant R.N.V.R. 26 years of age. Were you married at that time? No. What is your wife*s name? Did you Have any children at that time? When did you know that you were going to be part of the invasion? about 4 months before the invasion. 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? very quiet, mainly joking and drinks in the Ward Room, then going to sleep on the Ward Room Deck, fully dressed and wearing life belts. 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.) No. Did you by any chance keep a diary of what happened to you that day? No, the keeping of a diary was strictly forbidden.

2. Were any of your friends killed or wounded either during the landing or during the day? No. Do you remember any conversations you had with them before they became casualties? No. Were you wounded? No. Not on "D" Day During a Bombing raid, in London during leave . 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? I was so suprised at the time that I felt nothing although I can clearly remember my first thoughts at the time. 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? Yes , several small incidents. Do you recall any incident, sad or heroic, or simply memorable, that struck you more than anything else? Yes , one service Padre walking around talking to the wounded and giving them courage during an air attack. One other serviceman coming along the road carrying another gas mask as well as his own and telling me in passing that the second one belonged to his pal who had just been killed about 5 minutes prior and would no longer need it.

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 ? Yes , one or two odd incidents. 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? I do not remember any names or addresses off - hand . What do you do now? Textile Buying . 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 0. Isaacs The Reader's Digest

22, Elm Grove , Worthing , Sussex. 21st, May 1958.

Box 9468, The Evening News , Fleet Street, London E. C. 4. Dear Sir, With reference to your advertisement in the press today, I took place in the Normandy Landings during the period you mention, and at the time I was serving as an officer in the R.N.V.R. I was landed in France and stayed there for a period afterwards. Yours faithfully. E. Morley.