60th anniversary of D Day

It was the largest amphibious invasion in history.

The subsequent battle of Norm-andy involved one million men and helped seal the fate of the Third Reich.

Between 0630 and 0730 hours on June 6, 135,000 men and 20,000 vehicles were brought in by sea on five landing beaches.

The battle for Normandy was eventually won on August 21 - the first victory for the Allies in Europe.

Three days later they took Paris. Then they marched into Berlin and to ultimate victory in less than a year.

Laying key pipeline to fuel

invasion

A VETERAN who was one of thousands of valiant men in the D-Day invasion of Normandy is preparing to make an emotional return journey to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the fateful day.

Bill Bennett, of Claughton Street, Kidderminster, will be visiting Normandy on Saturday as one of the 80 members of the number nine branch of the Normandy Veterans Association.

It will not be the first time he has been back and he said he had mixed feelings about the nostalgic trip.

He explained: "Last time I sat with my son and daughter-in-law looking out to sea.

"I knew they were seeing the nice sea view but all I could see was the bodies and ships and smoke and the smell of cordite. It never leaves you."

Mr Bennett was an Able Seaman on HMS Grampian - one of the ships among the first wave of the invasion fleet which stormed the beaches of Normandy on D Day - June 6, 1944.

Mr Bennett, who grew up in Kidderminster, had been in the Merchant Navy.

His courageous story began with him being conscripted to the top secret Tombola division of the Royal Navy.

Practically the next thing he knew he was sailing down Southampton Water on HMS Grampian - a fishing trawler. He was just 18.

He said: "As we reached the bottom of Southampton Water the sight was something I will never forget." He added there were ships everywhere.

"They covered every inch of sea, as far as the eye could see. There were 4,000 craft - imagine that, 4,000 ships, all in one place."

Later, Mr Bennett, 78, said he realised "this is it" - the French coastline was in sight and the warships had started the bombardment of the coast.

His ship was headed for Arromanche, to a beach code-named Gold just east of the beach designated Utah. That was where the Tombola mission, to lay a pipe out to a floating fuel farm to provide the life blood of the invasion, would be.

Mr Bennett's job involved manhandling the pipe in the seas while under heavy fire from the four guns of the coastal battery.

The harrowing nature of that job was etched on Mr Bennett's face as he spoke about it.

He said: "Every time you moved you were going between bodies and debris."

When asked about the casualties, all he could say was: "There were so many of them."

After the war Mr Bennett, who was mentioned in despatches, worked at the Longbridge car plant.

When asked whether he thought people today appreciated what he and the other men did, the usually irrepressibly cheerful Mr Bennett said: "I look at what we fought for and I look at society today and I think 'this is what people died for?' "

'All hell broke loose' at Utah

WHEN Kidderminster's Lol Edwards was describing what it was like to have explosive shells raining down around his D-Day landing ship he came up with what has to be the ultimate understatement - "a bit alarming," he said.

But as he admits: "Everybody always says I am very laid back."

But perhaps another explanation is the noticeable reluctance among many veterans of that momentous day to talk about the experience.

Mr Edwards, 78, was recounting the story of what it was like to be among one of the courageous men to take part in the D-Day invasion of Normandy as Sunday's 60th anniversary approaches.

In spite of his reserve the long-lasting emotional effect of the experience can be seen in the model of Mr Edwards' landing craft LCT 793 which was skilfully worked by him many years later.

The Royal Navy signalman was in the first wave of the invasion stationed on a landing craft, which stormed the beach code-named Utah by the Americans.

His ship carrying tanks and lorries needed for the invasion landed on the beach at 10am on June 6, 1944 and at that point he said "all hell broke loose".

Mr Edwards, of Gilbert Scott Way, said: "There were battleships firing over the top of us. Shells were coming very close to the ship, dropping into the sea at the side and some hit us. It was a bit alarming."

Another hairy moment involved returning to the beach under heavy fire to pull off another ship, which had become stuck.

As a signalman Mr Edwards remained on board LCT 793 while the tanks and lorries were unloaded onto the beach. He was, therefore, spared wading onto the beach, but fortunately none of his shipmates were lost in the onslaught.

Later in the morning the craft returned to England to re-load ready for the next sally.

After the war Mr Edwards worked as an electrician for B French Limited Electrical Contractors, based in Mill Street.

He is disappointed he will not be making a return to Normandy for the 60th anniversary because of his wife's ill health. However the Royal Naval Association, Kidderminster and district branch, committee member and vice president, did make the poignant trip back a decade ago for the 50th anniversary.

I was given half an hour to live, says 'Bulldog', 86

ANOTHER of the epic stories of bravery and heroism to come from the D-Day invasions is that of Kidderminster's Michael 'Bulldog' Drummond.

Mr Drummond, of Habberley, was a sergeant major in the Royal Marines and by his own admission "took no prisoners" during his involvement in Operation Overlord - the frontal assault on the heart of Hitler's European powerbase.

He proudly shows you his wounds as proof, if any were needed of his heroism. These include a plate in his skull and a bullet hole clearly visible in his chest and he narrowly avoided having his left hand amputated.

His unit was the Combined Operation 48 Brigade and he was involved in leading a troop up the shore on Gold Beach.

The attack resulted in horrific casualties - about 1,000 men perishing, leaving just 16 to survive.

Mr Drummond, 86, who joined up in 1934, is now frail and his memory is deserting him in some of the fine detail - for instance he could not remember the name of his ship.

However, there was a long pause when Mr Drummond was asked what it was like to run up the beach on that fateful day - and it was obvious some memories never leave the mind.

He replied: "It was a bastard and believe you me some of them never even got off the boat before they were killed."

The veteran, who was abandoned in Leith in Scotland by his mother aged four and grew up in a Barnardos orphanage, made it up the beach but a little way inland he took a bullet.

It went into his chest and out through his back, resulting in him being stretchered to the clearing casualty station.

The redoubtable Mr Drummond said: "The stretcher bearer said 'leave him there. He will be gone in half an hour' - and look at me I am still here at 86."

He returned to his unit after just six weeks and he says of the rest of his campaign: "You can gamble on it, I never took a German prisoner of war."

Casualties came to US hospital at Wolverley

ANOTHER less frequently told D-Day story is of the people who worked tirelessly caring for the thousands of casualties - and many of them were right here in Wyre Forest at Wolverley Camp.

Mike Webster, of Hayes Road, Wolverley is carrying out extensive research on the camp for a book he is writing.

Last week a contact in America, former wartime nurse Barbara Harris, sent him the diaries of an American nurse who served at the 52nd general hospital, Wolverley, in the weeks and months following the invasion of Normandy.

The nurse Winifred Johnson of the US Army Nurse Corps speaks movingly of the huge numbers of casualties, their injuries and of the long and exhausting shifts she spent caring for them.

On June 10, four days after the invasion started, the hospital had 275 patients - all casualties from France.

"And many pitiful ones at that," said Nurse Johnson.

Her diary entry continues in the stilted language of a nurse's report: "We had one on ward four who was in the operating room for three hours, both legs splintered and put into casts, very deep shrapnel wound in buttocks, shrapnel embedded in pelvic bones and could not be removed, severed ureter, injuries from flak to head and arms.

"He was irrational at times and lived his experience over aloud many times, but when rational his chief worry was that no-one had notified his mother."

She added: "This group was largely paratroopers and they are a brave group."

At one point Nurse Johnson speaks of snatching just a few hours sleep before being back on duty at 5.15am until 9pm the following night - a 16- hour shift.

Later in July another entry reveals 300 patients were admitted

Nurse Johnson writes: "Our hospital census is nearly 1,600. We were told that we have the most patients of any hospital in the European Theatre of Operations."

But military discipline did not relax in spite of this herculean effort - Nurse Johnson and two colleagues were reprimanded for talking on their way off duty - the pettiness of this a source of obvious frustration to her.

She writes: "The irony of it is we are over here fighting for freedom."

Her exhausting routine is highlighted by the fact there were 43 patients on her ward and yet just one ward man and two nurses.

More memories of Wolverley Camp can be seen on Mr Webster's web site at www.wolverley

camp.org.uk.

He is also appealing for information and reminiscences and can be contacted on 01562 636245.

This week archive film footage of Wolverley Camp, discovered recently in America and now in Mr Webster's safe keeping , will appear on television as part of BBC Midlands Today coverage of the D-Day anniversary.

Recording memories of the day

ANYONE who would like to find out more about D-Day should go along to Stourport Library where there is a fascinating display throughout June.

Copies of original documents and maps will feature alongside a selection of Second World War memorabilia and also books, audio visual materials, photos and sources of further information for people to carry out their own research.

A reminiscence day with Wyre Forest people talking about and recording their memories of D-Day will also go ahead at Stourport Social Day Centre on Thursday, June 17 from 1.30pm-3pm.

Some of the memories of those taking part in the reminiscence day will feature in next week's Shuttle/Times and News.