This article has been compiled from official details of the D-Day assault together with the actual account and memories of the person involved.
My father, Neville, was born in January 1924, so when Britain entered the Second World War, in September 1939, he was just 15 years old – too young to enlist. However, keen to ‘do his bit’ he eventually joined the Royal Marines in November 1942 as an 18-year old. After his initial training at Deal in Kent he was posted to various bases along the south coast of England.
Neville’s function in the Marines was initially as a driver of light vans and smaller armoured vehicles, but as D-Day approached he was assigned as a signaller in tanks. In addition to operating the radio, his secondary role, during combat, was to load shells into the breach of the tank’s gun. Neville’s regiment would be part of the Sword beach landing.
The objective of the Sword operation was to establish a beachhead, then move inland and take the strategic town of Caen. If all went according to plan the tank regiment would beach on D+2 and take Caen by D+4. Having never been abroad, Neville was looking forward to seeing France and meeting some French people.
During the nights of the 5th and 6th June, Neville’s landing craft ‘stood off’ out of sight of Sword beach. Nevertheless, they could hear the sounds and see the flashes of the naval barrage, air strikes and exchanges of fire from the fighting of the first waves. What a frightening experience that must have been – waiting for his turn to join the battle.
By the end of the 6th, Sword beach had been secured and the German defences killed, captured or forced back inland.
As dawn broke on the 7th, Neville’s landing craft went in, getting as close to the beach as possible. Nevertheless the tank emerged from the craft into two feet of water, before heading onto and up the beach. The engineers had cleared the mines and constructed ‘roadways’ but the driver still had to negotiate derelict, bombed out vehicles and those giant ‘jacks’ made out of steel girders.
German defences had been neutralised from the immediate vicinity they were still able to fire their big guns onto the beach from further inland. Sure enough, as Neville’s tank proceeded up the beach the shells began to rain down. Everyone scrambled. The captain, the driver and the gun layer were all inside when Neville, being the last in, was about to close the tank hatch or ‘pan’. Suddenly a shell burst right next to them and the pan slammed down onto the fingers of his left hand!
In excruciating pain, Neville fought to raise the pan with his right hand. When he finally managed to release his fingers, to his horror, he saw the skin was hanging over the nails of three of them and the bones exposed. Through the nausea and near fainting he informed the tank captain.
Eventually the tank cleared the beach, the shelling ceased and Neville and his crew were able to assess the state of his injury. Unable to load the breach or hold and fire his rifle the medics decided he could no longer fulfil his role in the tank. He spent the next few days running messages for the beach master until a transfer boat back to ‘Blighty’ was available.
Back in England, the doctors were able to re-attach his skin and save Neville’s fingers. While recuperating he was posted to Fishguard, Pembrokeshire where he would meet his future wife, and my mother, Gladys. He had escaped further involvement in the European war but was put on the draft for Burma and the continuing war against Japan. However, he picked up an infection and high temperature which the medics struggled to get down. By the time he was healthy enough to resume his duties, the war was over.
After demobilisation Neville’s hand recovered to such an extent that he was able to work for most of his life as a motor mechanic. Many years later he did see actual combat – as a semi-retired pensioner, working at a late night service station. Threatened during an attempted robbery his Marine training instinctively kicked in as he wrestled a knife from the hand of his assailant, who ran off into the night. Neville’s bravery was reported in the Nottingham Evening Post.
Steve, Edwinstowe