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

1/ About six weeks before D Day we started invasion training sometimes we were on the Landing Craft three or four days then landing at different parts of the South Coast Then I was member of a working party getting new ammunition for the Batt Stores The Batt moved into a marshalling area in a wood somewhere near Southhampton There we did more training getting us to carrying on exta equiment The whole area was cordoned off from the outside world We were part of an "Independant Brigade" which consisted of the 2nd Batt Gloucestershire's and the 2nd Batt Essex and our task on the Landing was to get off the beach and get inland as fast and as far as we could We had to get Bayeux in three days Twice a day every man was shown a huge table map which showed the different objectives we would encounter in the way Officers and men got to know each other better and "pitch and toss" was a popular game as were waited for the order to embark French money was payed out to every men Bayonets were sharped brasses were painted over we enjoyed doing that the the order came to get aboard our Landing Craft On the evening of June the 5th we were waiting for the order to get moving So we put on a concert for the crew of our ship They were mostly Canasians and a great lot of chaps When the time came to move down the Channel all the other Navel ships cheered us on our way the crews stood on deck and saluted us We were ordered below as soon as our landing craft got out into the open Channel None of us spoke of the job we were going across the Channel to do We all knew that this was it and the eyes of the free world was on us Some hours later we were ordered on deck it was getting light we made some coco which I remembered tasting very nice Our officer pointed to what looked like a church steeple he said that's where were are going It turned out later to be Bayeux Cathedral Our landing craft either run aground on a bomb crater or a rock because we couldn't get right on to the beach We all had a kind of waterproof suit which came up to the neck covering all your equiment and as we started to go down the ramp I saw that the water must be over six feet the waves was very rough the tide being right in I took off my suit I knew that the water would go over my head Then one of the sailors jumped overboard with a light rope around his waist he swam to the beach pulled a heavy rope from the around his which he made fast to the beach with a stake we were all very thankful for this Then down the ramp we went into the water holding on to the rope I think without the rope a lot of our boys including myself would never had made it I remember a huge wave swept me off the rope Major Boon our Coy Commander coming back to help me I was half drowned but I made it I had a great fear of the German armies I had been told a lot about them and how clever they met them down but the beach parties had cleared gaps through which we quickly got off the beach and on to the road All this time a terrific barrage was being put down by warships and rocket -- firing shops We were moved up the road our tanks whic had landed with us were striping their water [?] we took cover along side them

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

38. Brynawellon Nantyglo Mon. 14-6-58

Received 17/6/58. Q.S. 18/6

Sir,

I read in the Argus that an American author would like to contact members of the South Wales Borderers, "who took part on the D Day landing." I landed with "B Coy" on June the 6th and if I can help in any way I would be glad to do so.

Yours J. Brookes

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)

N Dead file THE ASSAULT LANDINGS IN NORMANDY Ack 29/10/58

D DAY: MIDNIGHT JUNE 5 — MIDNIGHT JUNE 6

What is your full name? Arthur Holman Dunn What is your present address? The White House Porth Newquay Cornwall

Telephone number: 3050 newquay

What was your unit, division, corps? 50Div 151 Bde Where did you land and at what time? Arronnerch? not sure 7 am 6 June What was your rank and age on June 6, 1944? Major (2nd)Bn 8 Div 1 (Durham Light Infany) Were you married at that time? yes What is your wife's name? Phyllis Amy Did you nave any children at that time? none

When did you know that you were going to be part of the invasion? when Gen management addressed us in sicily (after the invasion) in sept or Oct 1953

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? Roughish- very little conversation except that everyone was a little edgey - we expected the coastline to be heavily fortified The planning on the Navy side was much better than the invasion of Sicily where we landed in the wrong place 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.) have whatsoever - every one was merely "Teed up" Did you by any chance keep a diary of what happened to you that day? No

2. Were any of your friends killed or wounded either during the landing or during the day? yes the Bn M.O. was wounded (near me) in the stomach soon after we landed Do you remember any conversations you had with them before they became casualties? nothing of any consequence Were you wounded? yes How were you wounded? 11 June

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 remember it all vividly I was toward the Bn area at St Pierce - we were facing forward and had just the day before the same day, fought a battle + then 3 tiger tanks came up + shot us up I was shooting + encouraginng my men to kill the Germans who were directing the strife from the turrets of the tigers & the next thing I knew was that I was bleeding from my head. It did not hurt but soon after I could not write or talk.

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? Not really funny although it was a wry humor After I was wounded + whilst the German tanks were still shooting at us. Our own gunners plastered US!

Do you recall any incident, sad or heroic, or simply memorable, that struck you more than anything else? Many. One Pfc & a Sgt, I expect from fear + quite native, looked like men were coma. They stayed in one place for the 5 hours until the tanks left & our medical people could bring back the wounded. 3 other Pfcs, after I was wounded, asked permission to surrender. I was still able to speak & told them as [illegible] as possible for the DLI men [last line illegible]

sadly but firmly at me & said "Sorry Sir; of course not". They were merely boys & acted like true soldiers for the hours I still was [crossed out] befor [end crossed out] with them.

The heroic part was when a medical Corporal crawled on his belly [inserted] under heavy fire [end inserted] for about 400 yds or more to try to get me back. My Bn HQ must have known that I was wounded -- they probably realised this when they could no longer hear me shouting. I could not move & my Corporal could not Carry me & so he crawled back & came back when it was dark. He was a brave man and I only wish I could have been able to remember his name & To have been able to speak and recommend some recognition for his bravery. Unfortunately, I could neither write, speak or read for quite a long time.

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? One officer on the first record day after invasion showed great ingenuity in rooting or weeding out germans as we moved forward. He enthused his company & treated the whole thing as a game or a hunt which it was in effect. He was a tonic + was killed at the time I was wounded

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 enclose a 50th Div Officers Dining Club which many of the members took part until invasion. Unfortuantely I only know a few,

What do you do now? I returned to the gas industry in 1946 but am now premanently retired.

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 do apologize for the delay. I had no idea until now that I had not completed your questions.

A Holman-Dunn

27 Sept 58

Telephone PLYMOUTH 63013/4. THE OCEAN Accident & Guarantee Corporation Limited F O U N D E D 1 8 7 1 I N C O R P O R A T E D I N E N G L A N D Branch Office 62, MUTLEY PLAIN PLYMOUTH

Branch Manager N. E.TRAVIS.

Please Quote } Ours C/PK. Reference } Yours PM.58/5074009.

2nd June/ 1958. A. H. Dunn, Esq., The White House, Porth, Newquay, Cornwall.

Dear Sir Policy PM.9365977. Humber Hawk MRL.667. Accident 16.1.58

We thank you for your letter dated the 30th May, and in the circumstances we are quite happy to leave the matter until the repairers are able to complete the work to your car. We, therefore, look forward to hearing from you in due course.

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