World War II Forums - View Single Post - Sword Beach to Bremen., A Veterans tale. Sapper

pillboxesuk · #**515** (**permalink**) May 30th, 2007, 08:27 PM

Sapper, I thought I'd share this with you, particularly as you mentioned coming under fire from Middx Regiment....

I took my 83 year old father back to Normandy a couple of weeks ago for the first time since 1944.

He was in 12 Platoon D coy 1/7th Middlesex Regiment a Vickers Heavy Machine Gun Battalion. He was driver/wireless operator of the platoon commanders bren gun carrier. Paul Reed who I believe is a member of this forum kindly supplied me the Battalion war diary and I was able to take my dad back to some of the exact locations, for which I will be eternally grateful

All in all a very emotional trip, but one my dad had always wanted to do all his life.

Photo 1 shows me and my father in St Honorine La Chardronette, a key village in the Orne Bridgehead overlooking Columbelles and Caen and one of the start positions for Operation Goodwood. We are pointing at a shrapnel mark on the wall. My fathers unit had their guns positioned alongside this wall for about a week.

Photo 2 shows the start of the village. My father's unit attacked the village on 13th june 1944. Within a short time they were subject to a German counter-attack and ordered to retreat. My fathers carrier stalled and refused to restart (he wasn't driving!). He vividly remembers abandoning the carrier and radio, removing the slidex codes and running back down the road. The remainder of the platoon were firing on open sights at the Germans coming over a ridge. This was the only time my father can recall the unit firing on open sights as the vicker HMG was normally used like artillery, firing on unseen targets.

Photo 3 shows the village under a stormy May sky.

Photo 4 shows my father remmbering the events of 60 years ago...

Photo 5 shows my father reunited with a bren gun carrier at the tank museum at Saumur.