Last month we commemorated the 80th Anniversary of the Normandy Landings, more commonly recorded as D Day. I’ve written previously about the co ncidence of a village connection with these events. That Arthur and Gertrude Wright of Home Close, Joe Bowers of Sandrock Road, and my father Trevor were all involved in this momentous event, which changed the direction of the battle for Europe and eventually led to the success against the might of the German forces.

Since helping to prepare the Wright family home for sale following the death of Gertrude in February, I have come across more evidence of Arthur’s service in WWII and a number of important insignia of his service. I’m using his story up until the Normandy Landings to describe his service. The pictures shown below, help to illustrate his story. He did not meet Gertrude until 1945, but as you will see their stories collide before that.

In June 1941, Arthur volunteered to join the 1 Royal Tank Regiment at Bovington Camp. There he met Tom Hammond & Harry Crossland and they became close friends throughout the war, In 1942, now fully trained, his regiment embarked in Liverpool for Africa. Their ship navigated the hazards of U Boats, and went through the Bay of Biscay, round the Cape of Good Hope, and up the east coast of Africa to the Suez Canal. They stopped in Cairo, before setting off into the hot sandy desert. They had to quickly adapt to the conditions, sticky yellow sand, and weather that was red hot in the day, and freezing cold at night. They had joined the desert war at a critical time. Rommel was trying to take Cairo and there was tough fighting on both sides. The British tanks were helping to stem Rommel’s advance, although heavy losses occurred on either side, and Arthur says he lost many wonderful comrades. He was wounded, sent to South Africa for recuperation but returned for the decisive battle. General Montgomery had now taken command of the 8th Army and won the decisive battle at El Alamein. No more retreating, they were now heading west, relentlessly pursuing the enemy. They now proudly gained the name The Desert Rats, and under Monty’s leadership travelled a thousand miles through the vast desert of Cyrenaicia (Libya), learning not to get bogged down in the quicksand, and to use the stars to find their way. In Libya they had to plough through deep muddy fields to conquer Tripoli, and then conquer Tunisia.

In August 1943 they conquered Sicily and in September landed in Italy. Their task was done and Monty told them to go home and rest up, he wanted his best tank troops available for something happening the following year.

This was of course the D Day Landings

It is rather ironic, that whilst serving under Montgomery in one of the first tank landings of D Day on the beaches in Normandy in June 1944, Arthur was injured when a German grenade hit his tank, and he was immediately taken out of the battle and had to be repatriated to England for a month or so.
Arthur’s own words; We landed in Normandy and became immediately embroiled in a fierce and savage battle, advancing slowly through the bocage hiding the German Tanks. The enemy was crawling through dense undergrowth and damaged our tanks with their Panzerfaust. Our tank was hit and I was rushed to hospital, but was back within the month. Undeterred we bravely fought on, until in September we liberated Brussels, receiving a fantastic welcome” (this story to be continued)

On 9th June Seigfried, Gertrude’s brother was a naval rating on Z32 a German ship travelling back to its home port when it was shelled and sunk by the Canadians. Siegfried was killed and his body lies with the ship off the coast of Normandy. Gertrude was instrumental many years later in getting a memorial to the men of Z32 created in a German cemetery in Normandy.

Seigfried’s Ship Z32 was a German destroyer, which was completed in 1942 and which served with the 8th Destroyer Flotilla of the Kriegsmarine during the Second World War. The destroyer fought against HMS Glasgow and HMS Enterprise in the  Battle of the Bay of Biscay , alongside the German 8th Destroyer Flotilla and the 4th Torpedo Boat Flotilla. She mainly operated from German-occupied French Atlantic ports, escorting blockade runners and U-boats, but was sunk during the Battle of Ushant on 9 June 1944. The ship was beached on the same day after battle with Canadian destroyers Haida, Huron and the Polish destroyer Blyskawica, near Ile de Batz and destroyed by air attacks.

The Normandy Landings June 6th 1944

Joe described the events of the morning of the 6th June 1944, the day that saw tens of thousands of British, Allied and American forces land on the beaches of Normandy. The aim was to take the war to the enemy who had entrenched themselves on the French Coast, with only the channel between them and England. Joe was in a group of commandos that reached Sword Beach at 5.30am, after a very rough crossing of the channel. He jumped into the sea from his landing craft up to his neck in water weighed down by his rucksack weighing 80lbs (36kg) which contained extra ammunition for the guns they were carrying. This was on top of their personal weapon and ammunition. Joe told how some of the men around him went down and were drowned, due to the weight of their rucksacks.

This raid is fully described in the story of 4 Commando on the day, taken from records. Joe’s 6 Commandos were also in the battlegroup.

Brigadier Lord Lovatt in command of 1st Special Service Brigade issued the order for the brigade’s role in the landings. The intention was that the 6th Airborne Division and 1st Special Service Brigade would be responsible for holding the left flank of the Allied bridgehead onto the beaches. The Commando Brigade consisted of No3, No4 and 6Commando(Joe’s unit) and 45 Royal Marine Commando were to land on the extreme flank of the Allied forces on Sword Beach, and to cut inland to join forces with two brigades dropped inland by glider & parachute. No 4 Commando were to destroy a battery and the garrison at Ouistreham and then join the brigade. The rest of the brigade landing 30 minutes after No. 4 Commando were to fight through the enemy defences to reach and re-inforce brigades of the 6th Airborne Division meeting astride the bridges spanning the River Orne and the Caen Canal, now known as Pegasus Bridge. Glider regiments of the Airborne Landing brigade would arrive later the same day, descending into the countryside cleared of the enemy.

We can only assume what Joe went through as he landed on the beach, but he described going across Pegasus Bridge after the airborne troops had taken it, and then across crater strewn roads towards Caen. He spoke about this part of the battle taking three days. They met German resistance in front and to the side of them. He recalled that there were about 100 commandos in his troop and they destroyed German defences as they went. We learn that having captured their objectives No. 4 Commando dug in on a ridge of high ground to the east of the River Orne. Not long after they arrived and started digging in, the gliders of 6th Airborne Brigade began landing to their rear. Expecting a German counter attack, protective trenches were completed by nightfall. For two days no attack came, but late in the night of the 8th June German infantry were spotted advancing through the nearby woods. Holding their fire until the last minute the Germans were driven back, but this was just the beginning of the fight back and on the 9th June the Germans were seen on the road behind No. 4 Commando.

After a short battle when D Troop led by Captain Porteous engaged the enemy, and even though they were outnumbered two to one, they charged, killing some and forcing the rest to withdraw. On the 10th June, 4 Commandos position was under heavy artillery and mortar bombardment. Earlier 6 Commando had been heavily bombed, which was followed up by a ground assault that lasted until mid day. Fighting continued most of that day and was taking the toll of the commandos. E Troop were now under the command of a section sergeant, and had only 20 men left from a compliment of 65. Heavy attacks from the Germans continued for the rest of the day, and there was much hand to hand combat. In those few days since landing on the beaches No4 Commando had lost 50% of its men. Before the landings 1st Special Service Brigade had been told that they would be withdrawn in a few days after the Allies had broken out from the beachhead. Problems whilst capturing Caen meant that the commandos and airborne division had to remain to secure the left flank along the River Orne, They did not get relieved for 82 days, during which they not only held the left flank, but on 18th August started their own break out, with No4 Commando leading they liberated Bavent followed by Beaumont en Auge, Breuzville & Bonilleville. Here they stayed until 6th September when the brigade was withdrawn back to the UK for 14 days leave.