World War II D-Day Accounts from the Cornelius Ryan Collection

Cooksey Sword

FRANK COOKSEY

R.E.M.E. Heavy Recovery section. Worked on D.A. Caterpillar tractor, waterproofed up to 9ft. high. Landed R.E.M.E. tanks from LCT, carrying 100 men, mostly infantry.

Crossed the channel with Eddie Fletcher. He was the same age as me and had a Caterpillar. We were briefed together at Warminster, so well briefed that when I landed I felt I had been there before.

We were sea-sick most of the way over.. both of us were happy-go-lucky types. I carried a piece of coal for good-luck -- came from Newcastle on Tyne.. Spent most of the time losing all my money playing Brag. Found the cook came from the same town as me, Chester-le-Street , so I got some special priveleges.. slept in the galley and instead of eating iron rations got the sailors' food. Didn't do me any good, though, cause I was sick pretty soon after!

Most of us were pretty confident going over, thumbs up sign.. but mood changed a bit when we started to rev up machines. Blokes had different look on their faces, lips tightened.. those who normally took no notice of you offered their fags, others who never spoke to you, came across and chatted. Some began talking too much from nerves, others quietened down. Everything seemed so big we couldn't grasp we were part of it.

Coming over thinking about home, etc., I fell in love with "Dot" (Dorothy)..... Back home used to go out with a friend of mine, Peter Humphreys, with two sisters, Peter liked one and I the other... never thought much about her until D-Day, though. She was the first girl I send a card to later in the afternoon from the beach.

One little incident happened lust offshore as we were coming in. There was a little boat about 50yards off the beach - a rowing boat - bobbing up and down on the waves (it was quite rough) with two men in it: one had a bren gun, the other was lying in the bottom of the boat. They were being systematically machine-gunned from a house on the shore... machine-gunner getting closer and closer until it was only a matter of time before they got hit... Suddenly out of nowhere an American gun boat appeared: pointed its naval gun.. fired and the house disappeared. "By God," cried the bren-gunner, "this is a bloody marvellous gun!" Didn't see American ship, thought he had pooped Gerry himself!

As we came up to beach there was a concentration of fire from the houses on the front.... My sergt., Jock Patterson, was driving an armoured bulldozer.... we cameein in two landing craft, neck-end-neck... He was meant to plant a flag (green and yellow, Cooksey thinks) at a pre-arranged spot... He waved to me just as he was about to beach: then jumped into sea... suddenly a sniper got him and he crumpled up. The whole scene was so unreal, even the people seemed unreal too.. . Later somebody came over to me and said "Pat's up there." He was lying high and dry, wrapped in blankets, with a note pinned on his chest by the medical people. We buried him on the beach temporarily but later he was taken to the cemetery at Bayeux..

My job was to have been with Patterson. He was my friend... He was very upset before we left England because he had lost the [crossed out] engagement [end crossed out] [inserted]signet[end inserted] ring his girl had given him. He got a NAAFI girl to go out and buy him another.

As we came in we could see POW's on the beach, some on their knees praying.. We had been told that initial resistance wouldn't be from first-class troops. They were right.. for these POW's were 'Ruskies'.. prisoners came in like drifters all during the day. They were completely demoralised.

THE ASSAULT LANDINGS IN NORMANDY D DAY; MIDNIGHT JUNE 5 —MIDNIGHT JUNE 6 Ack 6/6/58 What is your full name? JOHN BRIAN HENRY COOPER What is your present address? 172 Straigt Road Romford Essex Telephone number: What was your unit, division, corps? ROYAL NAVY Where did you land and at what time? near dromanches (code June beach) What was your rank and age on June 6, 1944? A.B. A.A. 3 19 years Were you married at that time? no What is your wife's name? Did you nave any children at that time? . When did you know that you were going to be part of the invasion? Sunday June 4th

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? Quit chopping + rough at times we were very excited at first but were to busy later to notice our personnel thoughts our main trouble was keeping army personel happy (sea sickness)

Were there any rumours aboard ship? (Some people remember hearing that the Germans had poured gasoline on the water and when the troops came in.) I cant remember any rumours only wonderment of a repeat of Dieppe

Did you by any chance keep a diary of what happened to you that day? yes but brief

2. Were any of your friends killed or wounded either during the landing or during the day? one of our stokers was wounded + a number of soldiers

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 out- of-place? There was one thing that sticks out in my mind when ---L.C.T. got a direct hit in the engine room the shell past into the bridges + sent a fountain of oil into the hole in the deck head all over our skippers on the bridges he looked just like a nigger boy

Do you recall any incident sad or heroic, or simply memorable that struck you more than anything else? There was one quite brave deed at best I think or was when our leading stoker put a sack over load of cannon shells when the base was on five + put the flames out + there are a number of other things but but --no room for them all here (one spare page)

* •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? There is one thing that seem's rather silly was when our 1st Lt. went into the as we landed on the beach with two revolvers in his belt & a [illegible] in his hand. I dont know if he was frightened of the crew (as he was not liked) or the enemy. 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? OUR CREW Mr R. Hewitoon, 3 East Street, Crookhall, Consett, County Durham ( I dont know if they still live there) G.E Elliot L/MM, 36 Rannoch Road, Methil, Fife, Scotland. 73 Wootton, 7 Hamilton Street, Bloxwick, walsall, Staff. L/S L. G Bowman, 55 Whitworth Road, [illegible], [illegible], [illegible] W. Lee, 29 Tuxford Crescent, Cundy Cross, Barnsley, York. B. Phillips, Black Lion Hotel , [illegible], [illegible], Wales James Mackay, 4 Stewart Villas, [illegible] F. Norcott, Wayside, Stewkle, Leighton Bus Beds. What do you do now? Unemployed at present because I have had a slipped disc and I am Still having treatment. 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

I think we were very lucky to get away from the beach & if it was not for me or our other L.C.T. we would have been blown to pieces, because when the 88mm shell went into the engine room it smashed the main engines & we just had enough fuel to get us off the beach on emergency power & then the tide started to carry us back on-to the beach broadside on & then this other L.C.T. got a line over to us & managed after a number of try's to get us clear of danger & tow us & get our wounded personel on board a hospital ship. this was a feat on its own as we had no engines to get us there, after a number of try's the towing ship managed to do it but what a job, then when we were along side the swell & getting the wounded on board was a painstaking job. but we managed. We were then towed back to Southampton by our ever faithfull comrades on the other L.C.T. after repeated breakings in our tow rope & being dragged through mine fields & this we did not know till we had got through & a kindley Destroyer flashed us up & told us the good news our, relief was teriffic & all their hapened on my 20th birthday by the way, quite a time I had.

J. B. H. Cooper

COOPER, John Brian

British Royal Navy

Box 20, #16

2/ On we went there was still firing coming from Arromanches a shell hit the road and one of my pals fell they put him in a blanket and four German prisoners took him in a house All along the side of the road there were German mines so we had to keep on the road there wasn't much cover We pushed on all day there was no stoping we took all our objectives and as night came we were firmly planted in Normandy I shall always remember June the 6th and the boys who didnt come back

No

17th July, 1958.

J.S. Brookes, Esq., 38, Brynswellon, Nantyglo, Mon.

Dear Mr. Brookes,

I felt that I should personally write to thank you for the wonderful contribution which you have made in the preparation of the D-Day book which I am writing. The material in the questionnaire you sent me has been a great help in filling in many of the details of the work done in Normandy that day by members of the British Services.

It will probably be a full year before the boook is completed and on its publication in The Reader's Digest under the story "The Longest Day", it will give us great pleasure to send you a copy.

Yours sincerely,

(Cornelius J. Ryan)

BROOKES, John Samuel British 2nd Battalion S. Wales Borderer Box 20, #3

Ack 26/6/58 Negative

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

What is your full name? John Samuel Brookes

What is your present address? 38. Brynawellon Nantyglo. Mon.

Telephone number:

What was your unit, division, corps? 2nd Batt. South Wales Borderers.

Where did you land and at what time? Arromanches

What was your rank and age on June 6, 1944? Private. 24 yrs

Were you married at that time? Yes

What is your wife's name? Minnie

Did you nave any children at that time? No.

When did you know that you were going to be part of the invasion? Six weeks before June the 6th we knew that something big was coming off because of the training we were doing

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? It was a very rough crossing the weather wasn't very good for a landing.

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.) I didn't hear of any rumours

Did you by any chance keep a diary of what happened to you that day? No. I didn't have time for writing.