OUR ANCESTORS REMEMBER
Royal Marine Commandos landing on Sword Beach
This brief selection of anecdotes and accounts has been drawn from a mix of people who experienced life on Britain’s Home Front during the months up to D-Day 1944.
I am very honoured to have been in the company of the wonderful people who told me their stories. Stories told with humility, passion, emotion and laughter.
Those last few hours of waiting…
In the Signallers’ Office situated in the basement of Exbury House, on the south coast of England, Jean Gadston, a ‘Wren’ – WRNS (Women’s Royal Naval Service) – was responsible for typing up the D-Day instructions for the Fleet: ‘The establishment by then was sealed and although there was a false start on June 5th, on the morning of the 6th, I passed the order to the flotilla in the Solent and in Southampton Water and to the Landing Craft in the Beaulieu River to “sail”.’
All hell let loose when the orders came through from Headquarters, that General Eisenhower had given the Go to the invasion. My then fiancé went out on D-Day. News came through later that he had been killed
Marion Loveland, also a WRNS, was stationed at HMS Collingwood: ‘It was quiet on 5th June and I was hoping the next 24 hours would be the same. It was my birthday on 6th June, and I wanted to have a little celebration if I could. It was not to be. All hell let loose when the orders came through from Headquarters, that General Eisenhower had given the Go to the invasion. My then fiancé went out on D-Day. News came through later that he had been killed.’