- Contributed by
- ѿý Open Centre, Hull
- Location of story:
- Normandy
- Background to story:
- Army
- Article ID:
- A7263056
- Contributed on:
- 24 November 2005
by Andy Forster of Hull
I once laid a wreath in the 11/11 ceremony at the Reckitts Cenotaph. Afterwards all the old soldiers were entertained in the staff restaurant. I asked the old man with the Normandy Veterans badge what it was like when the ramp at the front of the landing craft went down……
“Terrifying” he replied.
“What did you do, what did you think?”
“Nothing, just jumped out and ran as fast as you could”.
“Then what?”
“Once you were out of the water, you carried on running up the beach. If you were lucky you found some cover and got behind it”.
“And if you were unlucky?”
“Then you stopped a bullet, or, if the landing craft stopped in the wrong place, you jumped out, went under the sea and never came back up again, you had no time to think until afterwards”.
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Transcribed by C. Brigham www.hullwebs.co.uk
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