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Jack served with the Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI) after having been rejected as a bomber rear gunner. He went into France first with the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and was one of those rescued from the Dunkirk beaches, although he never talked about that time (sadly he is now dead).
On D-day, Jack went into the Normandy landings with the Canadians. His story, which he recounted all through his life, was as follows.
" We were told to expect a dry landing. Our landing craft approached the beach as far as it could and then opened the ramp. Unfortunately we were still some distance from the beach, but we all had to jump out into the water". At this point it is worth noting that Jack was only about 5' 3" tall. "We all jumped into the water, and with my full kit on I sank like a stone under the water. I was saved from drowning by a tall Canadian soldier who grabbed hold of my tin hat and dragged me up to the beach". "Talk about a dry landing!". Jack went on to serve in France with Army field intelligence and survived the war as a Sargeant.

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