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Although the war diaries for the 4th County of London Yeomanry show that some tanks went ashore in the early evening of D-Day, I - with Recce Troop - landed on Gold Beach (Arromanches) at first light on D+1. I remember this so clearly: despite all the waterproofing we'd done; we came off the LCT through very shallow water onto a beautiful sandy beach. Once on the beach we blew off the waterproofing with the explosive charges arranged around the waterproofing and the exhaust pipe extension, an extra high extension to allow the tank to wade through deep water and still keep the engine running. I think the explosive charges were electrically detonated.

Then we all stood round the tank smoking and drinking warm cocoa from the comp rations. The cocoa came in self-heating tins with a wick in the centre. You touched the wick with a lit cigarette and - schoouuff! Just like that! You had a tin of warm cocoa in your hand. It had been a rough night and the cocoa tasted very good.

We'd actually closed down in the tanks and started the engines in the early hours of the morning before dawn, and were provided with seasick bags. The tank engines were kept running after we had closed down and it had all been pretty awful. So we were very pleased to get off onto the beach, and out of the tank to stretch our legs. We stayed on the beach for a while before moving inland.

As we came off the landing craft the troop officer's tank broke down. He and his crew took over the tank I was in. When we got the tank going I drove it to the assembly area, but the tank wasn't serviceable and when the forward elements of the regiment moved on, I stayed with A2 Echelon as one of the reserve crews.

Under a lorry, then under fire

During the first night in France I recall sleeping under a three-ton lorry with one of the other spare crewmembers. There was quite a bit of air activity going on, and quite a bit of AA fire. I remember thinking it was best under the lorry because of falling shrapnel. The chap I was with offered me a drink of gin from his water bottle. I accepted, but never again - that was the first time I had ever tasted any form of spirit. Despite the noise, once I dropped off I slept soundly until stand to at dawn.

Usually at dawn the Germans sent over single reconnaissance fighter planes which came in fast, hedge hopping, and all hell was let loose with the anti-aircraft fire, mostly multi-barrelled machine guns mounted on a Crusader hull. I remember one occasion laying on my back as one came over the hedge and banked steeply over the field, and I could clearly see the pilot laughing at the spectacle of people running in all directions below.

During the following days with A2 Echelon I took every opportunity to explore. We even had a day out in Bayeux in the first few days. There was a great deal of damage to property and farm stock. In particular, there were a lot of dead cows in the fields, and quite a few dead German soldiers who had not yet been buried. The smell was horrible, but one got used to it. I think!

Crossing the front line for food

As I remember it, the men of A2 Echelon and the spare crews moved around the invasion area in three-ton trucks following the progress of the regiment. There would be about ten men to a truck. We lived, slept, and ate as a group and were issued with compo rations which came in wooden boxes containing tinned food enough for 14 men for one day. The compo rations boxes contained everything necessary to maintain normal subsistence. All the food was tinned and was very good, but there was no bread, only hard tack, which we put in stews to make it palatable.

We made every effort to get fresh vegetables, and of course eggs were a great prize. On one occasion I went with a colleague searching for eggs, going across fields, through hedges, and along lanes until we arrived at a farmhouse. It was intact, but all the shutters were closed, and it seemed deserted. As we stood in the farmyard it was very quiet, but suddenly the shutters of one of the upstairs windows were flung open and someone shouted, 'English, English!' (in French, of course).

The next thing we knew we were surrounded by the family, all shouting and laughing, in particular the children. I can't remember how many there were, but there was quite a few. It was all rather bewildering, The farmer produced a large bottle of drink and glasses, and I had my first taste of Calvados (a local spirit). I took a big swig, not knowing what it was, and I thought the top of my head was going to lift off.

Anyway, we asked for eggs and got plenty. Then we asked about the Germans, and were told that they had been in the farmyard only a short while before us. The farmer thought we were the advance guard and that was the reason the Germans had gone. Needless to say it did not take us long to leave in the direction we had come. It appeared that we had wandered into or through the front line, which of course was very fluid at that time. What we had done was very foolish, to say the least, and when I came to think about it in later years it made my toes curl up. Our guardian angel was certainly watching over us that day, because, apart from the risk of running into the enemy, it was common practice to mine and booby trap tracks and lanes, in particular gaps in hedges.

My regiment is disbanded

During one particular night, soon after the landing, there had been a heavy air raid, and the next morning I went with a number of others to look at an unexploded bomb in the next field, about 500 yards away. It was a very large cylinder, which turned out to be a land mine, lying on its side in a small crater with a parachute attached. We stood around it for some time, chatting, while some of the others removed the parachute before leaving it where it was. During the following night, while I was sound asleep, there was an almighty bang. The land mine had gone off; it bounced me up in the air. It was clearly delayed action and could have gone off at any time. Again very lucky!

It was fortunate for me in a way that I was reserve crew, because on 13 June the regiment was leading the division breaking through the German lines and during a major battle in Villers Bocage RHQ, A Squadron and Recce Troop were destroyed. This led to the regiment being disbanded on 28 July 1944 and amalgamated with the 3rd CLY to form the 3/4th CLY in another division. And that's a story on its own.

Villers Bocage

Extract from the war diaries of 4 CLY:

13.6.1944: Regiment moved at first light towards Villers Bocage 8157, A Sqdn leading followed by A Company Rifle Brigade. No opposition. A Sqdn reached feature east of Villers Bocage map reference 8358. Column split at map reference 823578 by two Tiger tanks (Michael Wittman). RHQ brewed up completely. A Sqdn continued to take up battle positions and B Sqdn hold town. Unable to get through to A Sqdn who were attacked at 10.00 by Tigers and infantry. They called for immediate assistance, but none could get through. At 10.30 A Sqdn reports position untenable, withdrawal impossible. At 10.35 all stations go off the air. B Sqdn ordered to hold village at all cost. After six hours of street battles destroyed four Tigers and three mark IVs. At 16.00 B Sqdn reported village still held, but enemy infantry reported in area, map reference 820975, and an attack by the Queens failed to clear the opposition. The Commanding Officer 'The Viscount Cranley' was missing and Major Aird, B Sqdn leader, took command. Major Aird, now acting CO, ordered to withdraw Regiment to 780580, and this was carried out without further loss, while C Sqdn covered the withdrawal. Vehicle casualties 20 Cromwells, 4 Fireflys, 3 Humber Scout cars, 3 Stuarts, and 1 Half Track.

Daniel Taylor tells the full story of this action, with many photographs taken by the Germans, in Villers Bocage through the Lens.

Fighting in bocage country

In the Normandy bocage all the fighting, apart from that on the coast and around Caen, was by ambush. (Bocage country is characterised by small fields, high hedgerows and sunken lanes.) Obviously the attacking troops were at a disadvantage because they had to move forward. Poke your nose round corners where sitting a few yards up the road was a bloody big Tiger, Panther or a self-propelled gun, literally waiting for you and BANG! You had no chance. It only needed one shot from an enemy tank or SP, whereas we had to put multiple shots in the side or the rear of the Tigers or Panthers. We hadn't a hope in hell of penetrating the front of a Tiger with a 75mm gun.

I do know that there was a demonstration soon after we landed where they put a captured Panther in a field and a 'Firefly' 17-pounder fired three armour-piercing shots at close range at the sloping front of the Panther. The first shot bounced off, the second cracked the front plate and bounced off, and the third went through. By that time, in action, the Panther would have finished off several tanks. They only needed one shot. The German gunners were excellent, no question about that, but then so indeed were we.

Transferred to 1st Royal Tank Regiment

I can't remember the date, but one day, just prior to the amalgamation, I was ordered to collect my kit and jump on the back of a Daimler Scout car and found myself transferred to B Squadron 1st Royal Tank Regiment, who were at that time probably in the area of Ellon.

I remember travelling for a long way on the back of the scout car through quite hilly countryside and was eventually dropped off in an orchard. The tank I joined was a Cromwell designated 5 Able, that is to say 'Able tank in 5 Troop, B Squadron (Little Audrey)'. I was introduced to the tank commander, Sergeant Arthur Davies, the driver Trooper Johnny Firth, the co-driver Trooper Trevor Gundry, and the wireless-operator Corporal Taffy Glenton. I don't know how long Sergeant Davies or Tpr Gundry had been with the regiment, but both Johnny Firth and Taffy Glenton had come through the entire North African campaign, and there I was very keen and naive, amongst fighting soldiers of the finest quality who accepted me at face value and made me welcome. I did not think to ask why 5 Able needed a gunner and I never found out. To the best of my knowledge, I and an officer who occupied the passenger seat in the scout car were the only persons to be transferred to 1 RTR.

We moved off towards the end of the day and after travelling for some time, I became concerned that the main gun (75mm) wasn't loaded, and to show how naive and inexperienced I was I kept asking the tank commander over the intercom whether the gun should be loaded. It was pitch black outside, I could not see where we were going, nor did I know what we were going to do, but whatever we were going to do, I was most anxious that the gun should be loaded. He kept saying 'No, no, not yet,' almost patting me on the head to reassure me. I don't know what the other crewmembers must have thought.

As the days passed we were in the thick of it and it didn't take me long to get the general picture of things. By this time the battle for Falaise was well developed and I recall crossing the plains in front of Caen and seeing lots of knocked out Shermans, and I recall the horrendous dust created by the tanks which covered us in a thick coat from head to foot.

My parting memory of France is after the battle for Falaise seeing the tremendous destruction of German vehicles, equipment, dead men and horses. It was horrendous. Many of the drivers and passengers were still in the vehicles. I just remember walking amongst the wreckage thinking, 'Poor devils'.

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