Operation “Overlord” Personal Diary

5/6 June

2100 hrs. marched on to Blakehill 7m [???] aerodrome, fitted our chutes and took our last look at England. Emplaned 2230, took off 2300. Air crew very confident. Quite dark in the plane and hardly any talking. Had tea from vacuum flasks half-way across. Very little flak over the French coast.

            Mr. Basanes [???] no 1, the CO no 8 and myself no 12. A bad jump - had several twists and only just had time to release and lower my kitbag before hitting the deck. Landed with a terrific wallop - must have been on the downward swing of an oscillation - and thought I had broken something but had only a few bruises.    

            Found myself in green corn near a house with Stanley only a few yards away. He had sprained his ankle. Found our way to the RV, about a mile to the E., by using my compass and following the red Vereys. AA tracer going up along the coast and from a few positions nearby. Saw no one except a few of our people. Reached RV wood soon after 0200. Met Paul and Johnny there and found Bas [???] and Bn HQ.

            Waited by roadside for several hours, watching AA. Saw one of our planes shot down in flames and the crew bale out. About 0400 about 150 of us, i.e. part of Bn HQ and part of B and C coys, left RV and marched up through Touffreville into the Bois de Bures. My pack was very heavy owing to the weight of the batteries and I was very glad when we halted.

            Stayed in the woods all the morning whilst stragglers rolled in. Some had been dropped miles away and everyone cursed the RAF. 3 prisoners from 125 Pz Gr Regt  brought in, one a Pole; all young and rather stupefied.

            Bas [???] went on a recce down to Troarn. A few hours later his batman came back saying they had run into an MG post and Bas [???] had been wounded and left behind.

            1440 hrs marched through wood to fork rds 1470. Bn HQ in an orchard. Armoured half-tracks coming up from Touffreville knocked out.

7 June

Pat Horton now in charge of I section and doing the job well. A French partisan has joined us, also a couple of glider pilots and some RAF men whose plane we saw shot down yesterday.

            Two Section very much depleted - Bas [???] wounded and missing, Sgt Parsons [???] missing off DZ, Pete, Watkins, and Kuttner [???] missing off DZ; Meikle-John [???] also missing. "Chilly" Williams is here and has joined HQ.

INSERT [6 June 2100hrs watched [???] Bde come in. A long stream of gliders with plenty of our fighters milling around. Very fierce AA and plenty of SA fire on the ground after landing: Very good to see them]

            Went with Chilly on a recce this morning and saw first of Airborne Recce Regt to arrive - M/es [???], Bren carriers, Tetrarchs. One of their officers I remembered having seen on STC parades at Oxford.

            Enemy armour moving around in the plain. I don't think they know where we are or what our strength is. We have killed several DRs and captured some lorries on the roads through our position.

            A local inhabitant reports 50 prisoners wearing red berets were seen in German trucks in Argences.

            My smattering of French came in useful this afternoon for interrogating a couple of suspected 5th Columnists. They were very upset and voluble but I sent them off to Brigade for Sgt [???] of the FSP to deal with.

            We are sitting on this fork-rds about 1½ miles away from Bde HQ and the other bns. The road is often sniped and we are practically on our own. Its lucky we haven't been attacked.

           8 June

3 Heinkel III flew low over our orchard this morning but didn't attack. Disturbing reports of lorried inf moving up towards us but nothing has materialised. Mortars are attacking Touffreville. They have an excellent OP on the hillside overlooking the DZ.

            9th Bn are fighting heavily against an attempt to encircle them.

9 June

Drenching rain this morning so we moved across the road into a farmyard. People taciturn but obliging. Let us use their well. Children very open and friendly. Have a charming German sheepdog puppy called [???], very like a teddy-bear.

         Chilly and I live in a shed which is weatherproof and has straw on the floor. There are 3 parts to it - Chilly and I sleep in the centre, the one on the right is inhabited by a calf and chicken live on our left. The cockerel crows all night most annoyingly.

            Seaborne party arrived with the water-truck just as we were having one of our recurrent scares and were expecting an attack. I have a shallow slit trench just opposite the farmyard entrance.

            B corps posns shelled by SP guns on DZ.

            Our mortars have knocked out several light AA posns on DZ

10 June

List night while I was on guard a Battalion from the 51st Div was moving up the road. I was amazed at their equipment - Bren carriers galore, 6 pdr and 17 pdr A Tk guns, lorries, jeeps, M/cs - it was amazingly lavish compared with ours. [???]

            C coy patrols down to Troarn almost every night. Paul and Johnny have had some exacting experiences. They are beginning to look rather tired, especially Paul. Still no news of the others, except that Mike is believed to have been wounded and captured. Our people continue to come in from all over the countryside, from other bns, and even from Div HQ where Mr Booper, who used to be in the Borders and was in my stick at Ringway, collected quite a few.

11 June

We have been on compo rations since D+2. They are very good and there is a surprising variety. I mess with the RAP since we are split up into groups of 14, and do very well with them. Capt Holtan, our own MO is missing as are all our 224 7d Amb people. We have a young MO from Bde who was at St Edmund's Hall in 1940.

            Bn area shelled in late afternoon. One airburst right over Bn HQ by the watertruck, killing 2 men who were drawing water. I was in the kitchen of the farmhouse, talking to some refugees in my halting French. They don't seem to be short of food. Their well is running dry, though, after so much use lately.

12 June

Messages from Gen Gale, C in C, and the King.

            A Scots bn moves into Touffreville preceded by A coy of our bn which then withdrew. Extensive patrolling. I wash 4 pairs of socks and hang them on the farmhouse clothes line. After yesterday's incident everyone is very active in improving their slit trenches and roofing them over.

13 June

Went down to mortar OP this evening to check up on report of tanks on DZ. Saw several but could not identify them owing to distance and camouflage netting spread over them.

            This evening Gordons withdrew from Touffreville to rear of our bn. We are all very disappointed, having expected great deeds from the 51st with its splendid reputation. I don't think they know how to fight in this country since they still use desert tactics and advance across open fields in long lines instead of infiltrating down the hedges. That, at any rate, is the report we have had from a reliable source of the Black Watch's attack on Brèville. They had very heavy casualties and had to be pulled out of the fire by the 9th and the Canadians.

14 June

My 21st birthday. We move back up road to a posn by rd and track junction opposite brickworks. Bn HQ round the edge of a wood with slit trenches in a ditch. We don't bother to dig in thoroughly, thinking the ditch will be sufficient protection.

            5/7 Gordons on our right rear, Canadians and 9th on our left with Bde HQ at Le Mesmil.

15 June

2 more French youths join us. Sgt [???] checks up on them and takes them away. In afternoon a German patrol encounters our forward elements. No prisoners taken. 3 Deserters come in later - one a German medical orderly, one from the Georgian Legion and one from the Russian Army of Liberation. These last two very wretched specimens.

            I go to Bde HQ and see damage done by our Typhoons which bombed and machine-gunned the MDS, despite the large Red Crosses.

            Bought some cheese at the farm.

            First letter from mother.

16 June

Woken at 0430 by hy shelling of our area. Thought it was the end, shelling was so accurate. The earth trembled, I smelt cordite and could see some of the flashes even from the bottom of my extremely shallow trench. It eased off after about half an hour and then the attack came in on our forward coys. I couldn't see this from Bn HQ although it was very close, but bullets kept zipping through the trees and shells and mortar bombs were continually landing in our area.

            Pat, now a corporal, was in the command post (a shallow dug-out roofed with timber and earth). He kept the intelligence log and situation map and originated frequent messages to Bde which I had to take down the path to the Bde signals trench. This was near the track which was being constantly shelled by an SP gun about 300 yds away. We couldn't shift it and appealed urgently to Bde for tanks. Once when a shell burst very close I jumped into the signals trench with the CO, the adjutant and about 3 others. The CO was splendid, walking about with his beret on and only a revolver for protection.

            Casualties were coming in all the time. The RAP, back in the brickworks, had a direct hit but luckily most of the medics were all right.

            It went on all day - constant shelling and mortaring with an occasional flight of rocket projectiles ("Sobbing Sisters"). Felt very tired and hungry with a bad headache. Constantly having to dive into slit trenches gave me a feeling of being hunted. Didn't expect to last long, it was so thick.

            In the afternoon 3 MIOs arrived and the CO staged a counter-attack, bringing C coy up from reserve. The MIOs weren't much use since the SP on seeing them merely withdrew and continued shelling us from a little further back. The sergeant in command of one MIO was put under arrest by the CO for not doing his job properly. The enemy had had enough, though, and retired, mauled by our mortars, under cover of their own artillery.

            Shelling continued until 8 o'clock in the evening by which time we had had 50 casualties and everybody was tired and worn.

17 June

We were relieved at 0800 by the 7th Para and very gladly left the Bois de Bavent behind. We then marched to Herouvillette a village in the plain. Bn HQ was in a house and the Int. Office had one room of a smaller house overlooking the street. It had been occupied by Jerry and then by the 7th who had left it in a filthy mess. We cleaned it out and installed ourselves.

            After a wash and shave and a meal we all felt much better. Our big packs arrived in the afternoon and I changed my clothes and did some washing. Although the place was shelled intermittently one felt much safer with so many stone walls around.

            We had plenty of supporting weapons since there were anti-tank guns covering all approaches to the village and part of a recce regt on hand.

            Went into a café in the village where they charged 135 fr for a bottle of sour vin rouge. Later on we learnt that the women who ran it were suspected of having been prostitutes to the German army. Now they were trying to make money out of us.

            Slept on a mattress tonight.

18 June

Johnny and I established an OP in the "[???]" a large racing stable at the West end of the village.  It was merely a matter of looking over the boundary wall across some open fields in the direction of Escoville. We had a 38 set and regularly sent in a nil report. The most interesting thing here was a hawk which hovered for hours over the field just in front of us. The Germans had dug an elaborate trench system, including deep shelters with bunks in them. Since he had the range of the place exactly and shelled it occasionally these trenches were useful. One approached the farm up a straight drive 100 [???]  long with trees on either side. This was called "Hellfire Ave" due to the heavy shelling it had received. We never dawdled there since there were fresh shell-holes and newly broken trees every time we went along. At the entrance was a burned-out carrier with some unopened tins of compo rations aboard. We opened one of these and found the contents perfectly good but slightly burned. Since it was only stew we threw it away.

19 June

Up at 0400 hrs and out to the OP with Johnny. Pouring rain and nothing to be seen. Had breakfast there, including tea from a champagne glass, and returned at 0900.

            A week-old copy of the "New Statesman" arrived for me.

20 June

Moved out this morning via Ranville to rest area in fields on bank of river Orne. Passed  glider LZ north of Ranville. Crashed gliders in all sorts of strange positions - one with its nose inside a cottage room. In Ranville is a black parachute suspended from an electric pylon.

            Spent first afternoon at rest area digging a slit trench. This was hard work and I was glad to have a good night's rest with a ground sheet and blanket to make things more comfortable.

21 June

Rest area. Reading, washing and sleeping - these filled the day.

22 June

Although we aren't shelled here there are so many of our own guns just across the river that life isn't exactly quiet and peaceful. They are HD 25 pdrs. [???] and their shells pass overhead with a fearful screech.

            A few hundred yards upstream on this bank are the 75mm of our own div arty. Johnny and I watched these firing this evening and also investigated a crashed Dacota glider tug near [???].

23 June

We had to leave the rest area at 1800 this evening and march to Ranville to defend our Div HQ against a break-through which it was thought might occur whilst some HD [???] battalions were being switched around. We occupied the grounds of a large house and found slit trenches already dug for us.

            There was to have been an ENSA show that evening by the river and the REs had actually put up a stage for it.

            Everyone was very glum since we all feel we have done our job as parachute troops and should go back to England to reorganise and be used again in our proper role. The general feeling is that the airborne div. is now being used, wrongly, as ordinary infantry and our strength is being whittled away to no purpose. I myself have always expected something like [???]. I never thought that we should be back in England within a week or two since it seemed to me that no general would want to lose such first-class troops before he had got every ounce of fighting value from them. The main thrust is definitely W of the Orne where the armour is going in and we are being used here as a stop-gap until Baen is taken.

24 June

An uneventful night except for some shells which fell rather close and shook some earth down into my trench. A pleasant day spent basking in the sun.

25 June

Up to the Bois de Bavent again to relieve the 7th who have been there eight days. A very tiring march in the hottest part of a very hot day. As soon as we arrived I stripped off as much as possible to cool down. We have the same trenches but they have been deepened, widened and roofed over. The enemy's forward positions are much closer now and there is intermittent shelling.

26 June

This afternoon Paul, Johnny, Chilly, Stan and myself worked on map enlargements and traces in the little hut near the brickworks used as an officer's mess. We hadn't been there 5 minutes when, with a long-drawn-out shriek, a flight of rocket projectiles burst all around us. We had no trenches there so just lay on the floor, hoping for the best although none of us felt very optimistic. Johnny said afterwards that he thought we had had it and I thought so too. I wanted to go back to our trenches to do the job but Paul and Johnny, with a courage that I didn't feel at all, preferred to remain in the hut. I remained with them and tried, by concentrating on the work, to forget the shells.

            When Chilly and I went back across the road for our tea we had a narrow escape. We had just turned on to the road when we heard a whine in the distance and threw ourselves into the ditch as a couple of mortar bombs burst about five yards away on the other side of the hedge.

            The same thing happened about 3 hours later when we came back to the wood for our supper. When we were about 50 yrds from home shells began to drop in the wood. This time I was near a shallow trough in the ground and into it I went just as one crashed down on the roof of a trench about ten yards away. The blast nearly lifted me off the ground so I took the hint and raced for my trench. A few minutes later I walked the 50 yards to the sgt. major's trench for my supper, found I was too early and started back again. When I was a few yards away over came another lot, with practically no warning shriek until the last second. There was no cover so I dropped on the path until the first few landed, then decided to make a break for it, and ran for my trench. I was very lucky not to get hit for I saw afterwards how the bark of the trees all round had been pitted with shrapnel and a hole made in a tin on the ground.

            That wasn't the end of this perfect day for there was more shelling later at about 2200 when I was in the hut. I moved pretty smartly back to my trench, luckily without interference and lay there quite still for about a quarter of an hour to get my breath and my nerve back. Being caught in the open five times in one day had shaken me badly.

27 June

The sun came out this morning and dried up some of the mud, making life easier for everyone. Hardly any shelling before midday. Had a good wash over at the brickworks in clean, soft water from a pond. Oneself, one's uniform and one's equipment get very dirty in these conditions and life is a constant struggle against mud.

            Jerry seems to know our meal-times and generally enlivens them with a few shells or bombs. Consequently, we eat our meals sitting on the edges of our trenches, ready to drop in at a moment's notice. We can generally hear the mortars being fired - over in the direction of [???] - and that gives us plenty of time, but some shells make no noise at all until the last stage of their journey. An SP gun firing from a nearby bunker by the speed, about one second, with which the explosion follows the report of the gun.

            Heavy firing in our area around stand-to tonight. One of our patrols was being covered by Bren fire and by 500 rounds from a Vickers. Return fire ripped through the branches overhead. Afterwards we had a quiet night.

28 June

More showers today with occasional sunny intervals. Jerry sprang a surprise on us this afternoon. After leaving us alone for several hours he suddenly lobbed some bombs over catching several people out of their trenches. A small piece of shrapnel hit Pat in the seat of the pants but didn't do much damage. He is still walking around and on duty. Among others wounded was a little French lad who had been with B coy for several weeks.

29 June

Went out this afternoon with Johnny and Chilly to an OP behind a hedge about 130 yrds from a house occupied by the enemy. This OP was about 300 yrds in front of our forward platoon and was reached by crawling along a ditch full of brambles. It had been mortared the previous day.

            We couldn't see much but located by sound several mortar and MG positions. We were startled once to hear the loud screams of a man in agony coming from the house. Later we discovered that this was a chap who had been shot through the stomach by a Canadian sniper. Eventually a 5cm mortar bracketed our posn and we moved back before he got us on the dot. Altogether, we spent a very harassed 4 hours out there.

30 June

I have another job now - listening to the news given out at dictation speed at 9 o'clock every morning and writing it out to be sent round the companies.

            We had a little "hate" last night and there are now more shell-holes in our area, including 3 near the old latrine, and more trees with chipped bark and broken branches.

1 July

We are getting tired of the Bois de Bavent. Shelling and patrolling are gradually whittling away our strength without serving any useful purpose. Rumours are everywhere and fresh ones are listened to eagerly. The only item of news which people really want to hear from the Int section is "When are we going home?".

2 July

More rain which is turning our wood into a clayey quagmire. Books and magazines are in great demand since an attack on our position isn't expected, we don't anticipate having to make one ourselves and people find time hanging heavy on their hands. I found a 1935 number of "[???]" and borrowed a copy of "Esquire" from the Adjutant. Yesterday I should have mentioned that we were visited by General Gale whom I overheard telling the CO that he would like to take Bavent, wasn't sure whether to use parachute or glider troops for the purpose but would prefer the latter since they have more men and more heavy equipment. We all hope he doesn't use us.

            Today another spruce and dapper general turned up - this time Browning himself, wearing a smock made from parachute silk. Unfortunately I had no chance of hearing what he said to the CO.

            The new command post was finished today. It is a very solid affair - entirely underground with a roof of heavy timber and sandbags. There is room to stand up in it and on either side are openings into the separate compartments for the brigade and battalion signallers.

3 July

More rain today. I got thoroughly wet on the way to C coy and back and didn't dry out until late in the evening.

            Between 2130 and 2230 our mortars sent several hundred bombs into enemy territory. I hope they did some damage for the reply that came back nearly settled my hash. It came in the form of 3 shells which burst about 4 yrds away from my trench and right on the edge of Sgt Hutchinson's trench. They knocked a tree down and swept the area clear of bushes. Black earth showered down into our trenches and over our equipment lying outside. Some of Chilly's stuff, including his waterbottle, respirator and souvenir German helmet was riddled with shrapnel. Pat's helmet had a hole right through it and the magazine of my Sten was badly dented.

            Sgt Sapping was caught out on the path when those shells came over and hit in the thigh. He dropped into Chilly's trench, badly shaken and then went over to the RAP. The CO came to have a look at things and seemed rather impressed. He had nipped into the command post only just in time. He asked Sgt Hutchinson and myself how we felt and we replied, a trifle doubtfully, "All right".

4 July

There was more intermittent shelling during the night but it wasn't so close and Stan and I, wedged tightly together back to back (there's only room for us to be on our sides) slept it out. There were other near misses in the bn area, including one that hit a large tree near the sgt major's trench and nearly cut the trunk in half.            

            After that we were naturally very glad to see the 7th, who relieved us at 1000 hrs. Marching back to the rest area the chaps seemed quite happy and some were even singing. At any rate most of us were smiling with relief.

            A day or two ago whilst on patrol in the Bois de Bavent Johnny set off an anti-personnel mine and injured his foot. He was evacuated through the Argylls and so we haven't been able to trace him but it is believed that his wound wasn't serious and that he has gone back to Blighty. Consequently Paul has been withdrawn from C coy and is now at Bn HQ. He is sharing my trench which we spent most of the afternoon enlarging. Once you have got through the hard top layer of earth the soil is sandy and digging easy.

            We had our valises in the evening and Paul found Pete's. I took his jumping trousers and tunic since my own are stiff with mud. If he turns up, as I hope he will since he's very resourceful and full of guts, he will of course have them but at the moment they might as well be of use to me.

5 July

Usual rest camp activities - washing clothes and cleaning up in general. Had a bath this afternoon by the side of the Orne. A mobile bath unit, hand pumped, supplied hot salt water for six showers. It was glorious to take all one's clothes off and be really clean all over. While we were there several shells dropped about 300 [???] away but nobody let that interrupt his bath.

            Paul and I were on guard this evening from 10:30 until 1:10 in the morning. There were far more sentries on than were really needed - as many as 2 from each field and in one case 4 which was more than in the Bois. Everything was quiet at first - there was only the usual serenade from our guns across the river - but later on some German planes sneaked over and were met by a terrific hail of Bofors fire. The sky seemed to be full of red balls floating lazily upwards. It was as good as the Baen flak on the night of the drop though much more short-lived of course since the plane didn't stay for long.

6 July

Chilly and I were on CO's orders this morning, charged by Mr. Thompson with neglect of duty in that, when on guard in the Bois de Bavent, we didn't properly waken our relief. This was what happened - Long, the RSM's batman, and [???], a signaller were due to take over from us at 0300 hrs. It is quite customary for only one of a pair to be wakened, leaving him to waken his partner. Consequently I woke only Long but made sure that he was properly awake before I left him. Unfortunately he must have gone to sleep, for no one roused the company at stand-to and when Mr Thompson woke up at 0500 he found everyone still asleep.

            Chilly and I should have seen that Long was standing up in his trench and also that [???] was awake, but we weren't so much in the wrong as Long himself who had actually gone to sleep when on duty, yet Chilly and I were each deprived of 7 days' pay whilst Long wasn't even charged at all.

            Heard some rather bad news soon after coming here - definite information from the  Oxf and Bucks that Mike was killed whilst fighting with them and is buried near the canal. Chilly was pretty miserable after this and I felt a sudden revulsion of feeling against the whole shameful waste of war. We had thought Mike was a prisoner, having found his Int. notebook in the German HQ at Herouvillette. Mike always enjoyed life so much and though I hadn't been a great friend of his we had worked closely together on the map enlargements for this operation and I had known him well and liked him. Death seems hardest when it comes to easygoing, carefree people like him.

7 July

Strong reminders today that we are still in the war. This morning about 50 of us were ordered by Maj Payne, who still looks a nervous wreck, to do PT. There we were in a field, most of us wearing white singlets and flapping our arms to the directions of SI Groom. We were asking for it and, of course, we got it. A German fighter suddenly swooped out of the clouds and blazed away at us. Luckily we heard him coming and dived into the hedges in time but he hit several chaps in the next field. About a mile away he hit an ammunition truck which burnt and exploded for about half-an-hour sending up a great cloud of smoke. Then I think he was brought down a little further on.

            This afternoon Stan and I went by truck with about 20 others to a film-show in Luc-sur-Mer. The ride there was my chief object in going for I wanted to see something of the bridgehead on the other side of the river. We crossed the Orne by Le Pont Tournant and then the canal by Pegasus Bridge near which are the two gliders which did the famous crash landing. We went in via Benouville, St Aubin d'Argences, Bolleville and Hermanville sur Mér. There was a great deal of military traffic of all types - from jeeps to bulldozers and tanks. Pioneers were working on the roads, there were AA and searchlight sites, and supply dumps and rear HQs of every type were everywhere. For a while we saw the sea - calm and very blue. There was only a monitor and a few small landing craft about though a smoke screen hid a large stretch of water.

            Luc-sur-Mer was a pleasant, bright-looking seaside holiday town. It hadn't suffered much damage. The cinema we went to was a small, shabby building operated by no 37 Army Kinema Section. The film was one I should never have thought worth seeing in normal circumstances but now I was glad to be able to laugh at something silly.

            On our way back the driver took the wrong turning in Hermanville and went on to Delivrande, the next town west. I shall remember its church with the twin towers standing up in the plain.

            On the whole the country W of the Orne is mostly rolling open plain, cornland or pasture with occasional woods and orchards and frequent villages.

            The river Orne, where it flows past our fields is only about a mile from the sea, has 4 tides in every 24 hours and has a swift current. Otherwise it is rather like the Thames at Sunbury with its towpath on either side flanked by lines of trees.

            This evening, from about 9:45 to 10:15 we watched a great air-raid in progress. Several hundred Lancasters came over in a steady, constant stream dropping their bombs on Baen and its environs. A stiff barrage was put up by the Baen AA but these Lancasters flew through it with the utmost deliberation: not swerving at all until they had dropped their bombs when they turned away to the NW. Watching through field-glasses I was more impressed by this raid than by the big [???] of [???] I had seen from Herouvillette. They were just as numerous [???], being so much higher up and gleaming brightly in the sun, they had seemed less deadly than these black Lancasters. Only one was shot down in flames though I saw another disappearing low down behind some trees and I saw another pass overhead on the way home with a great hole torn in its wing.

8 July

Very heavy arty fire on Baen this morning followed by a marauder raid at about 8 o'clock. A big attack went in there today and by late afternoon had gained its final objective. I wish them luck, as much for our sake as for theirs.

            Heavy rain most of the day. Stayed in our dug-out writing up this diary. I haven't kept one since the old days of the 110th at Otley but when things are slack here its a good way of passing the time. My chief reason for starting it again, though, is to give the people at home some idea of what life is like out here. I hope they will be able to read it some day.

            I am now reading some stories by Thomas Mann which I first read several years ago in Oxford. One story - I think it was "Death in Venice" - I distinctly remember reading when on the river in a punt with Doug.

            We now have some infantry reinforcements, mostly Glosters and Bucks and 5 officers. Some of them have volunteered for jumping - probably in the hope that they will go back to England soon. But the CO called us all together and told us that the bad weather had prevented as many fresh divisions being landed as had been planned and that we were likely to remain here a while longer. Personally, I think that our chances of return will be much greater if and when Baen is taken.

9 July

Another anniversary - 2 years today I joined the army, 2 years of normal living have been wasted and who can tell when this will end. Yet I have renewed my cheerfulness - due partly to the greater safety of this place and the absence of strain, partly to my having Paul as a trench-companion and not the morose Stan. We have fitted some 75mm cardboard shell containers to serve as a back-rest to our trench. It prevents some of the sand from falling down. This was important since the rain forced us to spend most of our time in the trench. Once Paul and I were caught in the open by a shower and soaked to the skin within half a minute.

            Had a letter from Johnny. He has returned to England and is having good treatment in hospital. Both legs are giving him pain and he is to have an operation on his ankles. He hopes to walk again in a month's time. It looks as if his jumping days are over.

            Read Churchill's speech about the flying bomb. London is the main target and has had 10,000 casualties already, which makes it look rather like an attempted reply to the bombing of Berlin. Mother and Dorothy sleep in a table-shelter in the drawing-room. They should be fairly safe there but it must be an anxious time for them.

10 July

Another day very like the others. Brigadier inspected the M.T. this evening. Pat has got a map marked with the names and dispositions of British units in the Baen battle. The [???] put in a small attack to the south this afternoon and made some progress. The 13/18 Hussars, supporting them, lost 9 Shermans to the fire of 4 Tigers without inflicting any loses on the enemy.

            A terrific barrage went over our heads this afternoon towards the [???]. We learned afterwards that the 7th had made a raid on that house we watched from our OP but had withdrawn without achieving anything.

            Mother sent me a pocket mirror which I have needed for some time.

            Paul went to a show in Luc-sur-Mer tonight and brought back a kilo of butter for which he had paid 20 fr.

           11 July

Stan went into the MDS today with yellow jaundice. As Pat said, it is the perfect Blighty, for he feels quite all right and looks happier than he has been for weeks. There are now only 4 of us, including Pat.

            The Luftwaffe is getting more daring. 4 fighters came over this afternoon and met a terrific AA barrage which brought one of them down. This cloudy weather favours them.        According to Pat the C.O. met general Browning yesterday at Div HQ and was told by him that the Div would certainly be back home within a month but that before it went it would have a definite job to do. We suspect we shall have to do an attack.

            Paul and I on guard again tonight for another 2 hrs 40 mins. Were informed that the bn was moving back to the Bois de Bavent on the following morning.

12 July

Back to our sector of the Bois, now aptly christened "Coffin Corner". We marched up under the hot midday sun without a halt. Paul sweated so much that he said his face was tingling from the salt. At the [???] several Jerry fighters came down and strafed us. We took what cover we could (I was lucky and got under a Jeep) and no one was hurt. For the rest of the journey shells were whistling over our heads and landing in the fields just behind us.

            We were relieving the 7th, who seem to have got a bit jittery up here, and coming under command 5 brigade. Paul and I took over the trench which I used to share with Stan. We worked throughout the afternoon widening it. Shelling and mortaring was fairly continuous and some were pretty close to our trench. One dud shell - at least 15cm with an alloy casing and copper driving band - landed in the field near the gate.

            Had a headache in the evening - due, I suppose, to marching in the hot sun with a heavy load. That and the warm reception we had had made me feel rather low.

13 July

A warm night. We had about 20 clean sandbags beneath us + an old gas cape and a groundsheet. On guard 0130 to 0300 hrs - plenty of flares and sporadic firing on both flanks. During stand-to, at 0445, a mixture of SP and mortar came over, landing pretty close. One was near enough for me to see the burst from down inside my trench. My respirator case had a piece of shrapnel right through it, luckily without damaging the respirator, and another piece was embedded in the handle of my entrenching tool.

            After that we had a quiet morning which I spent in the command post doing some traces of German positions. Two more scraps of evidence which may or may not indicate an imminent relief of the Div - visit to 5 Bde of a Lt. Col of the Cheshires and the presence in the brickworks of some 2nd Army arty people. We keep on hoping.

            To everyone's relief our mortars have been instructed not to fire more than 40 rounds per day. Brig Potts doesn't want to provoke retaliatory fire. Arty support seems to be better organized now the CRA himself was up this morning. This afternoon we had DF down within 5 mins of its being called for. I believe the Brig gave the RA a rocket yesterday for dropping some shells short in C coy lines whilst he and the CO were walking round.

            Another letter from Mother this evening and very welcome as usual.

            On guard for 2 hrs tonight with Naughton the clerk in the open slit trench facing the entrance. Heavy gunfire in the Baen direction but only flares on our front.

14 July

2 Polish deserters came in this morning from 10 coy 857 Regt 346 Div just opposite us. They said that many more Poles would come over if it weren't for fear of reprisals against their families. They were haggard and unshaven but were glad to be over here and gave valuable, detailed information about their positions. Both spoke French and German.

            We have an addition to the section - Powell from C coy - who is a bit of a linguist. He has rather a good opinion of himself but seems quite a decent fellow.

            The mortars pooped off a few rounds every hour or so and the Vickers did indirect fire on [???]. Couldn't understand why we had so little return fire - seems rather as if the enemy were saving it up for something big.

            A letter from Father today enclosing a cutting from the "Times" - a letter on demobilization recommending that priority be given to university scholars. Naturally, I like the idea very much.

            We now have 2 slices of bread a day per man and very nice it is. Back in the rest area there was a bottle of beer between every 3 men and half a bottle of whisky for each sgt. Pat shared his with Paul and myself and we sat on the path by the Orne drinking it from a bakelite mug. The lager we saved until we had arrived up here when we sat in our slit trench drinking it with shells whistling overhead.

15 July

Another 2 hours' guard with Naughton. While I was on my way to the trench there was firing up in front and bullets began to zip through the trees. I tumbled in pretty quickly. Intermittent banging away by our mortars and MGs throughout the day evoked practically no response from the enemy until the evening. It was so quiet that even our most confirmed cave-dwellers, such as Cpl. Roberts, thought it safe enough to show their heads above ground.

            Capt. [???] is now a Maj. and commands C coy with Capt. Leaife as his 2 i/c, Thompson becomes Capt and Adj., Bramp becomes a Capt., and maj. Payne takes over command of A coy.

            The Div. Int. Summary says that a doodlebug has been seen in our area though its not known where it landed.

16 July

Another 2 hours on guard this morning. Paul gave a most amusing account of my behaviour when roused for guard. When I wake up it is just as if I were in a cave far below ground with no light and no visible exit. I grope at the roof for quite a while before I find the way out.

            Had a bathe this morning in the bond over at the brickworks. The water is very clean due to the frogs which eat the weeds and is about 15-20ft. deep in the middle. It was quite warm but not warm enough for Chilly who took his clothes off, tried the water, decided it was too cold and dressed again without getting in.

            More enemy activity than yesterday but little in our own particular area. Our arty. fired airburst over Bavent in the evening. We hope Jerry doesn't reply in kind.

            NAAFI supplies arrived yesterday - beer, whisky for the sgts. and offrs. only, cigarettes chocolate etc. The whisky was duty free and only 85 fr a bottle but of course I couldn't get one.

            Those who wanted it had pay today for the first time in France - 200 fr each. My daily rate is now 6/6d, including my second year's increment.

            Tried to do the "Times" crossword but didn't get very far.

            Had a letter this evening from Joyce, Dougie's sister. I thought it very nice of her and was very pleased and surprised. Apparently Doug should be over here by now although he was in England last week.

            During stand-to this evening about a dozen Boche aircraft came over bombing and strafing behind our lines. I was sitting in a ditch and had a grandstand view of the show. One plane - I think it was an MB210 - swooped down low and spat yellow tracer down in the valley about a mile behind us. Our AA put up a terrific curtain of fire but he flew through it unharmed. There was a good deal of bombing but none near us, though they flew overhead.

17 July

Had a very bad head this morning due to the whisky I drank whilst on guard last night. Pat and Sgt. Howe were having a little party in the command post and game me half a mug full for the two of us manning the trench by the entrance. Naughton didn't want any so I drank all of it. Consequently, this morning I felt very bad and laid low in my trench most of the time. Luckily, there was very little doing and I wasn't needed.

            This afternoon R.P. Typhoons strafed the area of the chateau near our old position. Later on about a dozen Boche planes came over and strafed our rear areas. It was rather annoying since they woke me from a comfortable sleep.

            Just as yesterday we had heavy mist and cloud in the morning and a bright blue sky and hot sunshine in the afternoon and evening.

18 July

Our biggest day since D-day and one I shan't forget. From hints, rumours and various small signs it was obvious that an attack was impending but Pat couldn't tell us when or on how big a scale. We found that out today.

            During stand-to this morning we put out celanese strips for ground-air recognition. Breakfast was sent for early and we were all told to be in our trenches by six o'clock. At 0545 a stream of Halifaxes came in, flying N-S directly overhead and dropping their bombs, as we learnt later on Touffreville Sannerville and Troarn. Through our binoculars we could see the bombs falling and the concussion shook the ground and even the trees. The planes had to fly down a lane of bursting AA, but though there were many near misses I saw only one brought down. Over to the W another stream of bombers were pounding the Colombelles area. One of those was hit in the wing, its engines caught fire, and it dived steeply to earth in flames. No one baled out. To the NE over the coast another one must have been brought down for we saw several parachutes. We were very thankful that the marker flares were dropped in the right place for the planes were passing right overhead and some of the bombs were falling only half a mile away.

            This lasted for about half an hour and several hundred bombers must have taken part. Fighters were patrolling above them and a Mosquito, which I suppose was directing operations, kept circling around.

            At 0625 an artillery barrage started in the same direction and continued for several hours, gradually moving further away. The shelling was intense for several hours, the enemy replying with arty and rocket guns which we haven't heard on this sector for several weeks. A Panzerwerfer in the Bavent area was particularly active and gave us a packet - one shell falling directly on Sgt. [???]'s trench. Luckily the blast went outwards and not downwards and he was unharmed. We stayed in our trenches most of the morning but towards midday things eased off a bit and the battle had moved to the south. I wrote a letter in the morning and slept most of the afternoon.

            In the evening Gen Gale came round with some of his staff. I had to take a map for one of them to mark up and we learnt that Touffreville, Sannerville, Demouville, Cuverville and Colombelles had been taken, the 11th and Guards Armd Divs and 7th Armd Bde were moving S and SE and SW [...] Bourguebus, [???] and Vimont. The Brit 3rd Div was pushing on towards Troarn. Gen Gale was overheard to say that our job had been to hold this ridge until the big push could be made. If the Boche had held this high ground he could have put observed arty fire down on to Baen and the bridges and probably rendered the whole of the bridgehead this side of the Orne untenable.

            Its grand to feel that our waiting up here hasn't been useless and that progress is at last being made on this part of the front. There might be a chance of our going back soon though I'm not banking on it too much. We are still in the front line and fresh troops coming in will probably be used to reinforce the drive to the S rather than to relieve us.

            The noise of the Nebelwerfers and Panzerwerfers has seemed to me one of the most notable events of the day. As each barrel is fired in rapid succession what is at first a long-drawn-out groan rises to a crescendo and then you hear the wail of the rockets in flight followed by the rapid crash-crash-crash as they land one after the other and close together.

            A letter from Father this evening with news that makes me glad that Jerry has been catching it hot today. A flying bomb landed near the Ivy Bridge and did a great deal of damage. The front windows of our house were blown out.

            Soon after stand-to the Luftwaffe came on the scene. A dozen planes at the most arched around our country this side of the river, dropping bombs at intervals for 20 minutes. Huge flares lit up everything, AA streamed into the sky and it was a most brilliant sight. The Boche were putting up recognition lights all along their line but that didn't stop the planes from bombing them. We heard later that they had had several casualties and thought it was a British raid. The object was probably to destroy the Orne bridges but I think all they hit was some transport. There was movement all night along the roads and I could hear distinctly the rattle of tank tracks.

            At a quarter past every hour our Vickers sent over a few bursts of indirect fire to which Jerry replied with scattered shots that swept low over our area.

            Another propaganda broadcast from loudspeakers in the forward posns of the 13th.

19 July

2 Polish deserters came in this morning and were interrogated by Powell. They had been in the line for 3 weeks and said their orders were to hold the position as long as possible. Their mortar policy is, apparently, not to fire except in reply to us. Neither could read a map and so couldn't pinpoint anything or give exact information. They have been told that England is burning from end to end and that there is no use their deserting since they will be shot when Germany wins and they are recaptured.

            25 pdrs behind the brickworks fired a heavy barrage this morning in support of the 3rd Div's attack on Troarn.

            Lt. Gen [???], GOC 1st Airborne Div came to see the CO this morning.

            Chilly has received a parcel of books from home and has lent me Chesterton's "The Man who was Thursday." This is his philosophy told in the form of a fantasy and very woolly, confused, and monstrously paradoxical.

            So far we have had an easy time here this week. There has been little shelling, the weather has been fine and we have been able to wash and have our meals regularly. Mosquitoes have been our chief trouble and we have been fighting hard to keep them at bay. Twice a day a medical orderly sprays our trenches with "Hit" and everyone uses mosquito cream or a face veil and gloves to protect their face and hands.

20 July

We began today - our last day here - comparatively clean and dry but we finished it soaking wet and caked with mud. A thunderstorm began just before tea and lasted for several hours. It wasn't long before there were several inches of water in my trench and I had to evacuate to the CP. When it eased off Paul and I baled the water out and put in two ration boxes on which we sat and slept during the night. The clay walls of the trench were wet and sticky and our clothes were soon smeared with yellow mud.

            During the night I had another 2 hrs spell of guard duty - the 10th night in succession - and had to do it in the open since my fire trench by the entrance was flooded. Our guns, some of them quite close, were putting down a very heavy barrage in the Bures area. The row was terrific - both the reports of the guns, the screaming of the shells overhead and their bursting in the enemy lines. The muzzle flashes lit up the sky and the flame from the bursts could clearly be seen through the trees. Some of our shells passed only just above tree-top height and made us duck involuntarily at first. Jerry's only answer was a few minutes' ineffectual CB fire.

21 July

Luckily for us on guard it had been dry during the night but this morning the rain started again and very soon our trench was flooded and thick mud lay everywhere. We made our preparation for the move and handed over to the 7th Para at 1500 hrs. Then we started for the rest area by the usual route. When we had reached the brickworks the rain began again and continued for the rest of the march. The track down to Herouvillette was ankle-deep in mud and running with water. In the fields on either side were many newly-arrived guns and tanks. When we got on to the road we found ourselves in the midst of a stream of traffic which forced us into the gutters and sprayed us with mud. Amongst other signs I recognised those of the Guards Armd Div and 11th Armd Div. By this time I was soaked to the skin, my boots were full of water and my feet were sore. We all looked like drowned rats and felt rather envious of the people who rode past in vehicles - clean dry and wearing pitying smiles. The last half-mile along the river bank was originally a dirt track and had been churned to liquid mud by tanks.

            60 men from the bn went to the rest camp at Bayeux that night and Pat detailed me from the Int Sec. We arrived there at 10 o'clock and were greeted with hot rum toddy. We slept in tents and had two blankets each. It was a great relief to take off my clinging wet clothes and heavy boots soaked in water.

22 July

Had a cup of tea in bed this morning brought round by one of the camp staff. Slept in a large square dug-out about 2 ft. deep with a tent overhead. There are 4 other 8th Bn fellows and 2 RASC drivers from 3 Brit Div. Had a good 8 hours' uninterrupted sleep snugly wrapped in warm clean blankets which seemed softer to the touch than the finest sheets. Real bread for breakfast, then a talk by the camp commandant and a hot shower. Dried my battle-dress and smock in front of a fire and washed some clothes in the afternoon.

            The camp is about 20km. E of Bayeux between Reviers and Fontaine-Henry on the bank of the river Mue. We have no guards or duties of any sort, there is a film [...] every night and a NAAFI shop where I bought some tobacco and cigarettes to take back to the section. Actually I was too busy today cleaning up to amuse myself or get much rest. I miss Paul and the others but am quite glad to be away from certain other members of Bn HQ for a while.

            There is a wireless on all day and tents for reading and writing but the camp library is very small and hasn't much that interests me.

23 July

There was a raid near here last night and I heard the sound of bombs dropping. In the morning we found the camp littered with German propaganda leaflets, some intended for the Americans and exhorting them not to fight for England, and some addressed to us which gave a lurid picture of the damage the flying bombs were doing to England. These were soon cleared away by souvenir-hunters.

            Spent the morning cleaning my equipment and trying to scrape the dried mud off my battle-dress. This wasn't successful so I washed both coat and trousers and hung them in front of the fire to dry.

            There was warm sunshine most of the day and I dozed and read during the afternoon. Had a haircut from a French barber employed at the camp who wears British battle-dress. He made a good job of my hair. Am now reading "Laurence and the Arabs" by Robert Graves which is an account of adventures I have often read about but am always interested in.

            Wrote a long letter to Joyce Orgill. I was very pleased to hear from her and hope she will write again.

24 July

Warm sunshine today and a blue sky - a most unusual sight lately. We had an arms inspection in the morning and then packed our kit ready to move off. Was quite glad to return to the battalion which is still by the Orne. Paul has put some more boxes in our hovel and made it fairly habitable. The previous tenant had improved on our initial efforts by digging a low tunnel at right angles to the main trench, thus making plenty of room for two to sleep.

            Had a letter from Mother, several papers and a card from Doug giving the serial number of a draft as his new address.

25 July

A very lazy day of the type which are all right occasionally but would soon become tedious. Did nothing but eat, sleep and read. Not that I really wish to do anything more for I am only one among many small counters in this vast struggle. My initiative and my personal wishes count for nothing as I realise more than ever now after re-reading the story of Lawrence. His war was both unselfish and intensely personal for he felt the Arabs' cause to be his own and its success became bound up with his own integrity. I am a conscript and still a civilian at heart without the fire of enthusiasm that compensates for the volunteer's lack of skill. Only in the first week and on odd occasions since have I felt a strong personal interest in the fight. For the rest, I have done what I have been told to do not because I had any inner compulsion but because I have acquired the habit of obedience. A strong motive has also been the desire not to let my friends down by throwing extra work on them by failing to do my share. That is a natural instinct carefully fostered by my education.

            It really boils down to this - I feel how small I am and powerless to affect the issue and consequently do not feel strongly that this is my war. That leaves me only duty to fall back upon which is an unsatisfactory standby but will have to do.

            Having written this I feel rather surprised at myself for I did not intend this analysis when I started to make this entry. It is my own expression of the attitude of weariness now prevalent throughout the battalion. Nobody thinks of anything but going home and we all feel that in being kept out here long after our job has been done we have been duped and misused. We were definitely promised a return to England within 30 day