Sapper Ralph Spencer MM 6 Fd Coy D Day Veteran Interview
Interviewed by LCol (Ret’d) Vince Larocque
SPR Ralph Spencer, of Chiliwack, B.C., trained with the 6th Field Coy, R.C.E., for three years, but had only one day in Normandy, where landing with the Engineers' assault party of No. 2 Platoon, he was wounded and never got back to take part in the fighting his pals carried into Germany. But in that 24 hours on June 6, in spite of his wounds he won the Military Medal 'for extraordinary valour during the action on the beach.' It was typical of Ralph Spencer that he never mentioned the award of the MM either in his written account he sent to the author, or in any of our phone interviews. I learned about it only when checking the regimental history of the 6th Field Coy, R.C.E.
A native of Londonderry, N.S., Spr Spencer was a miner who wanted to be a geologist. Londonderry was a former ironmining town that supplied iron for England (Queen Victoria's canons); Krupps, Germany; and the U.S. It is now closed down. He worked in the gold mines of Quebec and Ontario, and played hockey in the Maritimes, Quebec and Ontario for mining companies to pay tuition fees at a college where he hoped to be a geologist.
After the war broke out and he enlisted, he had no difficulty deciding which branch and which unit of the service he wanted to be in — the Engineers of course! He was transferred from the training centre at Petawawa, Ont., and after arriving overseas assigned to the 6th Field Coy, R.C.E., on January 1, 1941 and served with that unit till 2350 hours on D- Day, 1944.
After Spr Spencer recovered from his wound, he remained in the Army and became a Platoon Sergeant in another formation and later a Squadron Sergeant-Major. When the war ended, he stayed with the Army and was involved in helping to establish the Marquise Communal War cemetery, 13 kilometres northeast of Boulogne. It involved moving corpses from graves on the beaches of Bray Dunes with the help of POWs and French civilians. There are 167 War dead from the U.K. buried in the British plot; 3 Canadians, 1 Australian, 1 New Zealander. The Canadians are: a 21-year old navigator of 166 (R.A.F.) squadron, FO Robert Duncan Crone, R.C.A.F. of London, Ont., killed June 3, 1944. Sgt Peter Sydney Lowry, R.A.F. (VR). 431 Sqn, R.C.A.F., KIA Nov. 19, 1943. He was 21. His parents lived in Chiswick, Middlesex; Another 21-year-old, PO Donald Ralph McEvoy, DFM, of Lindsay, Ont., an air gunner with 425 Sqn, R.C.A.F., KIA June 15, 1944.
Sgt Ralph Spencer died May 4, 1991, after being in and out of hospitals for two or three years with complications from his war wounds. He was a loyal 6th Field man to the end.
Spr Ralph Spencer, MM No. 2 Platoon, 2 Section, 6th Field Coy, R.C.E.
"I considered it an honour and a privilege to serve with the 6th Field, and I always felt somewhat inadequate for having to leave the battle so early.
"For No. 2 Platoon on D-Day, we were a group of men who were specialists and tradesmen in civilian life and now were combat engineers. We were under Lt Neil Mustard and were to support the Regina Rifles and the Royal Winnipeg Rifles in 7th Brigade in their landing at Courseulles-sur-Mer.
"On that day, the Engineers carried explosives or 'shaped' charges such as the Beehives or General Wades, specially designed to pierce the strongest reinforced concrete bunker or building, or causing unconsciousness to any enemy inside. The Sapper had the ticklish and unenviable job to crawl up on the enemy position or bunker under covering fire, place the charge and pull the pin, and within seconds take cover — if there was any! The theory was fine, but as more than one sapper pointed out, 'I hope you Riflemen are all crack marksmen because those guys out there are going to be returning the fire and I'm going to be in the middle.' Besides the explosives charges, every Engineer carried his personal weapons such as rifle, Sten gun, Bren LMG, Piat, hand grenades and fighting knife to be used if the situation became serious.
"Tactically and technically, a Field Coy of Engineers are the only unit within a Brigade or Division that are capable of taking the place of a rifle company if required in action. All are expert in the use of their weapons and have had rigorous training — Battle Drill (fire and movement) and had had many months of assault landing training in the U.K. From the infantryman's point of view, the extra fire power was a welcome addition.
"There are not enough superlatives to describe these men who would pay a high price for the success of Operation Overlord, but their motto will be long remembered: 'The difficult we can do immediately; the impossible takes a bit longer!' "Our work as tradesmen in England from 1 July, 1941 where we were involved in construction of barracks, camps, roads and numerous other tasks where our tradesmen such as bricklayers, electricians, painters, carpenters, blacksmiths, tinsmiths, mechanics, miners who were involved in hard rock endeavours and numerous other jobs, was gradually dying down. Those not classified as tradesmen were classed as Pioneers, but first and always we were Sappers and combat soldiers with the ancient motto Ubique' (Everywhere). By mid-May 1944, we had been issued our new high black boots, helmets much different than any others in the Allied forces. These protected the head and neck better. Our new uniforms were anti- vermin and very smelly; and were also gas- treated; with our new berets and fighting knives, we were the envy of many in our other Canadian formations.
"The British and the American Armies had Marines, but the Canadian Army had the 3rd Division! We had a marvelous esprit de corps. We knew we were the best fighting men in the world and all we wanted was a chance to prove it. This attitude betters the chance of success in any fighting.
"Many were descendants of British, French or other nationalities who had served in the forces of their country years or perhaps centuries before. But what inspired us one and all was the desire to live up to the traditions and standards achieved by our fathers who had fought and defeated this same enemy in 1914-1918.
"In addition to the Beehives etc mentioned above, we all had our personal small pack, respirator, gas cape, shovel, grenades, ammo (approx.. 150-200 rounds), water bottle, emergency rations (concentrated chocolate with added vitamins and nutrients), mess tins, personal weapons, bayonet, fighting knife, cigarettes, choc bars, extra sox shell dressings. We were also issued a Mae West, a flimsy rubber life preserver inflated by blowing into it. The air was kept in by a small cork. This was not adequate to support the 65-70-lb load carried by the Engineer and also the weight of his body. The Beehives and Wades were carried on a packboard similar to those used by trappers or prospectors, but ours had no tumpline (a cord placed around the forehead). Also the extra 5-6-pound weight of the web harness. This cumbersome load slowed movement, also making it difficult to manoeuvre, and such a prominent target attracted the attention of an enemy rifleman or machine gunner and a sapper could quickly become a casualty. Anyone — allied or enemy — picked off such an obvious target as it was assumed the load was vital to the progress of the assault.
"While waiting in the last few days before launching, some of the men passed the time writing letters, reading, many playing Hearts, and there were also the real action games such as poker and craps, usually organized by those who found other pastimes too dull. The French francs given to each man along with whatever English money still carried, was soon changing hands across the blankets in various corners of the camp. A couple of the lucky men were heard expressing the question as to where they were going to spend all this money. One remarked that he hoped he would get a chance to spend some of it in a bar or casino, but he also said he hoped he hadn't used up his lucky streak in the game and that he would have some left of it for what lay ahead.
"It was rumoured that one unlikely gambler, H/Capt Graham Jamieson, padre with the Regina Rifles, made a few hot rolls in a crap game and to the amazement of some sappers and riflemen, he departed with his 'take' remarking that he would see it was contributed to a worthy cause. Though the accuracy of this story was never confirmed, Capt Jamieson (who died in 1985) would take risks or a gamble in action for which he would later be awarded the Military Cross. Those of us who knew him thought the story was true. "Also, while waiting, we became acquainted with some of the men in the U.S. Army who were camped close by. They had baseballs and gloves so we joined them in playing catch. They were quite surprised how well Canadians could handle a baseball. Joe Steel, one of our sappers, had considerable talent as a ball player.
"I recall one incident while walking around the tented area of our camp when a couple of us stopped to talk with a U.S. soldier guarding one of the gates. While discussing his rifle and its merits as a semi-automatic weapon compared to our bolt section Lee-Enfield, he gave a complete demonstration in the care and maintenance of the weapon, including the stripping and assembly in a matter of seconds. We told him it was no doubt an excellent rifle, but only to ourselves we agreed that if a Canadian soldier on guard duty put on such a performance, he would no doubt be court martialed and severely punished.
"After embarking on our mother ship, we were reunited with our Platoons of the Reginas and Winnipegs. A and B Coys of the Reginas took five sections from No. 2 Platoon under their command, and the Winnipegs absorbed the remaining three sections. It was now June 3, and briefing began. Everyone was alert and paid strict attention to every piece of information relayed to them. We did not want to make any mistakes as there was no margin for error and there would not likely be a second chance. The memory of Dieppe still haunted many, especially our senior officers who had learned much from that dreadful experience.
Well Briefed
"I was a member of 2 Section, No. 2 Platoon with Lt Neil (Tiger) Mustard our officer, with Sgts Bill Meek and Bill Stewart as seconds in command. They also each commanded a Section with L-Cpl George Cooper, L- Cpl Jack Ferguson, L-Cpl Norm Rundle, Cpl Art Duncan, Cpl Gar Chapman, Cpl Phil Wilkinson and L-Cpl Earl Teskey as Section leaders. These NCOs had been with the unit for all our time in England during training and were very competent and inspiring men. The Sappers in the eight sections were subdivided into sub- sections, intelligent and eager men waiting for the word to go. I was under L-Cpl George Cooper. Our H Hour was 0735 (7:35 A.M.) "The mosaics of our 3rd Division Juno Beach were compiled and reproduced from photographs with incredible clarity. We were able to see wagon tracks where mines had been delivered onto the beach; the faces of the enemy were clear as if they had looked up at the Allied planes photographing the area. Nan Green Beach was of special interest to the Engineers as this was where we would land shortly in front of a large gun of unknown calibre, and supported by machine gun positions, Heavy and Light. (We did not know the model or calibre at this time.) There were also concrete trenches for riflemen. These elaborate positions were secure in the minds of the Germans as they were behind huge iron gate obstacles called 'Element C' and would normally be under water depending on the tide. Our Engineers were very interested in these and the Hedgehog (tripod steel obstacles) with shells on top of them as the mines and boobytraps required the attention of a trained sapper to neutralize them. This would have to be done while exposed to the MG and rifle fire of the defenders.
"The reinforced concrete strongpoint also interested those of us carrying the specially designed penetrating or breaching charges. The order for the sapper detailed to take out one or more of these positions would only come if the guns of the warships or the 105mm guns of our R.C.A. in LSTs offshore couldn't demolish them. Of course, there was the comforting thought that our 1st Hussars of the 2nd Armoured Bde in their Sherman tanks aboard their LCTs could get in close enough to do the job. We were all advised to notice there was a water tower and a church steeple a couple of miles or kilometres inland from our beach. This was the direction we would advance when we had taken Courseulles.
"During June 5, our Padre Capt Jamieson, held a short service for those who wished to attend. The response was not surprising — 100% came for their last opportunity for spiritual support or blessing before the battle for the beach. We — the heretofore 'hard nuts' — quietly eased ourselves into the group. One of our sub- section NCO's remarked to me: `Ralph, look at them calling on the Lord.' I could only reply: 'Yes, you can count me in that group also. This brash, young NCO was a livewire usually and this remark to me was a very thin facade to hide what he really was feeling. During one of our route marches in England he posed the confounding question: `Ralph, do you think they will ever split the atom for commercial purposes?' I told him I didn't really know as I was not a nuclear physicist, but from the gold mines in northern Canada. His question on the atom bomb would be answered some months later, but he would die, (without our Padre), before the bomb was dropped. I hope his sarcastic remark about 'calling on the Lord' didn't reach the Chief Engineer of the Universe.
"Another tall, young chap from Winnipeg in our group of engineers remarked to me with calm, but uncanny prediction: 'I will be meeting my mother in the morning.' (His mother had died a few months earlier.) He would be killed in the assault on the beach at the water's edge, with a bullet between his eyes. He was a quiet and not a gregarious person, and I used to help him write letters to a girl he had met in the Midlands.
"There was another quiet and unbelievably clean living young fellow who because of his deeply religious devotion became the subject of discussion, if not concern, among some of our Engineers before the preparations for D-Day. There were some who wondered if this young man could kill an enemy soldier if he saw one aiming his rifle at one of us. Evidently when asked the question, he assured the doubtful group that he would indeed kill the enemy if he had no alternative. I was not present at this discussion but am certain it was true. At times in his innocent and friendly manner he left himself open to ridicule and on one occasion I recall when he returned from seven days' leave, he announced after hearing the others telling of spending 15 or 20 pounds: `I left camp with 1 in my pocket (20 shillings) and came back with 18 shillings!; to which an older and dour sapper said: 'And what, may I ask, did you squander your 2 shillings on?' The young sapper always sought out churches and some religious company.
"While we were discussing the battle early that June 6 morning, this youthful man said: 'I'm sure I'm going to get through it all without a scratch.' This remark was heard by all in our group but the story doesn't end there. He was wounded through a leg by MG fire on the beach. Later when things had quieted down, I was told that he had said with quiet amazement: 'I can't understand it. I was so sure I would get through OK.' To which one of the more loquacious extroverts, wounded in the shoulder, replied: 'I told you, you damned fool that you were going to get it.' Both were evacuated, happy that they were alive.
"It was still dark that morning as we stepped into our LCA at deck level of the mother ship, the Duke of Wellington. Those of us Engineers burdened with heavy loads of explosives, weapons and other equipment were relieved that we did not have to crawl down scrambling nets as many had to on other ships. Later I learned that one of our mother ships had taken the 2 Div Canadians to Dieppe on Aug. 19, 1942!
Casemate Our Target
"Once in, we attempted to arrange ourselves in position along the port and starboard of the craft, with some of us straddling the long plank in the centre. Capt Shawcross and Lt Hysler of the Reginas were forward, ready to lead the attack on the beach. It was no surprise to see them in faded khaki coveralls to cover their insignia of rank. They carried no gear except the issue .303 rifle and binoculars. Their .38 Smith & Wesson pistols relegated to dispatching wild rabbits. Sgt Bill Williams, of the Reginas, was positioned on the starboard side in front of us and behind Lt Heisler ready to lead us out of the craft. The Engineer sub-section, loaded with weapons and explosives were positioned three-quarters of the way to the rear of the craft permitting the rapid exit of one Bren gunner of the Reginas and his 2 I/C with two cases of ammo and two riflemen to protect right and left flanks once we were ashore. "L/Cpl George Cooper, 6th Field, was our sub-section leader who would lead us to the most obvious target — a reinforced casemate housing a 75mm gun. The other sub-sections and their NCOs were assigned similar tasks in the same way.
"Once in formation, the LCAs and LSTs began the run-in toward our own objectives on a rather broad, extended front. To our rear were the countless numbers of LCAs and LCTs in depth. We were proceeding at what seemed to be a leisurely, but controlled speed. At a distance of about 1.5 leagues (1 league=3 miles approx.) our coxswain, an R.C.N. sailor said loud enough for us in the rear of the LCA: 'There it is — dead ahead,' meaning the beach. He spoke with a distinct Canadian accent which prompted me to say: 'You're a Canadian.' And he replied: 'You bet I am and there's a few hundred of us who are in on this show also. And there are Canadian destroyers like the Algonquin and my brother is on her.' I told him my brother was a sailor also.
"At a distance of 15 miles we were all standing in order to get a better view of the beach and the countless number of craft which would hit the beaches. Our faces were smeared with brown and green grease paint to dull the highlights of our faces when we took cover in the shadows of the streets or in the green fields ahead.
"As the distance between our craft and the beach closed, men began to cock their weapons and opened the tops of their cartridge and grenade pouches in preparation for some close-in fighting. One of our Sappers next to me cocked his Sten gun and in so doing, it discharged missing my ear. He said 'Sorry about that.' I told him OK, but to please point that thing at the beach. Like many of us, he was wounded in the shoulder by a burst of MG fire at close range. He was wounded by many wooden bullets, as well as lead bullets. The German MGs used wooden bullets in an MG belt to allow their infantry to move in front of the MG for a dash. Then real bullets were fired. He recovered and finished the war with the unit and then only to come home to Canada and be killed in an accident while an employee of a railroad company.
Died On Hospital Ship
"Another hapless fellow in our craft was forced to respond to a call of nature. This required divesting himself of his web harness and battle gear. There were no 'heads' (toilets) on this craft so a spew bag was used instead. This wasn't his day. He was to be wounded and later died on a hospital ship in the Channel.
"As we proceeded steadily towards our sector of Nan Green Beach, a large brown ale bottle filled with rum was passed around. Some hardy souls took a swallow as there wasn't enough for a long swig. A few refused, saying 'any other time but now. My stomach won't take it.' "Behind us some miles away, the heavy guns of the battleships were bombarding targets inland. Among these heavies were the Nelson, Warspite, Ajax etc and of course there were warships of the U.S.A., Canada and other Allied Navies. Off to our port and starboard, and to our rear, the rocket firing craft were sending in hundreds of rockets toward the beach. These devastating missiles arced into the air with a whoosh similar to the sound of gravel sliding down a tin roof. The flashes of fire from the craft lit up the area surrounding our flotillas of LCAs. One man in our craft remarked: 'that should wake up those SOBs,' but to our dismay, we watched a great many rockets explode at the water's edge several yards short of the beach defenses which began to drop shells among our LCAs.
"The rocket firing continued and it was with shock we watched a Typhoon rocket-firing aircraft shooting up the beach defenses struck by one of the rockets from our flotilla. This unfortunate pilot and his aircraft exploded in mid-air approximately 500 feet above the beach defenses. Contrary to many reports of Allied aircraft attacking the beach in support of the foot soldiers and armour, this Typhoon was the only aircraft visible in our area during the assault. Two German aircraft appeared over us later but did no damage. No doubt, Allied bombers had been busy striking at enemy targets during the night, but their attacks would be directed further inland. However, from our point of view, a concentrated bombing of the thick concrete gun emplacements would have done much to knock out the guns that caused considerable casualties to our LCTs and tanks of the 1st Hussars and Fort Garry Horse.
"As we were approaching Nan Green, a ship away off to our port side exploded. Months later, I was told it was a Norwegian vessel.
"Shortly before the coxswain revved up the craft's motor to force it as far up on the beach as possible, no doubt attempting to give us a 'dry' landing, the order was given to 'keep your heads down' but already instinct had us keeping as low as possible. MG fire was now raking the foremost crafts in the assault while mortar or shellfire exploded rather spasmodically among the flotilla. While the fire from the beach was striking our LCA and others, our coxswain, who had no protective shield that would give him any worthwhile safety, remained at his helm quite unperturbed. He was exposed and vulnerable, but he ignored the risks in the finest tradition of Nelson. He was preoccupied with getting us directly onto our beach objective and exactly on time.
"Any minute we knew the ramp would be dropped, so tension mounted. This would be the moment the 6th Field Coy men had waited for nearly four years. Could we do it? Hell yes, of course! Just before the ramp dropped, I'm certain we recalled our instructions for once we left the LCA: 'Remember when the ramp goes down — get out fast — go like a bat out of hell; get in close and take cover. Shoot at anything that moves. Don't stop to help the wounded even if he is your buddy. The Medics will take care of them.' "There was no time for any questions or to adjust our equipment, especially the Mae Wests which continually lost air and became deflated and useless. For me, there was only time for a quick prayer which had been offered on the eve of a battle by a long forgotten British General: `God, this day I am going to be very busy and should I forget you, please don't forget me.'
Landing Begins
"Approximately 150-200 yards offshore, the ramp dropped with a thump. MG fire was pouring into the opening where the door had been. Everyone stood up. There was no famous battle cry as seen in the movies. Capt Shawcross and Lt Heisler of the Reginas carrying their rifles were first out, followed by Sgt Bill Williams and Sgt Schneider also of the Reginas. The remainder began to rush out of the craft in the direction of a large gun emplacement and several MG positions we hadn't expected.
|
“Mike Red and Nan Green Sectors on Juno Beach, Courseulles-sur-Mere |
 |
"There was no hesitation. Men were hit and fell down in the craft; others fell into the water or on the beach. Some although severely wounded, got about 1/4 of a mile inland. Maj D.D. Grosch of the RRR A Coy was hit in the leg and went down. The same MG had hit several of us through the legs; Sgt Bill Williams of the RRRs dashed off to the right to take cover behind a short stone breakwater. He was hit by a bullet which pierced his helmet and died instantly. (He was later to have a lake named after him.) The Schmeiser he carried wasn't fired. Most of the Engineers knew him from Navy exercises and rehearsals. His loss would be hard to replace. Many others, including two Reginas wearing the Red and White armband of Stretcher Bearers also went down.
"In front of the Engineers' group, Cpl Don Moorhead of the Reginas, who was directly in front of L-Cpl George Cooper leading the Engineers' sub-section, was killed by MG fire as soon as he stood up. His body and that of others absorbed a furious burst of MG fire which spared many of us Engineers in the beach landing. In all the scramble to get out of the LCA, I took care not to step on Cpl Moorhead' s body, as well as those of others who were down on the ramp or in the water. Nevertheless, we of the 6th Field were to pay a very high price that June day.
"The curtain of Act One rose with no fanfare, many of the enemy guns were dropping shells behind us out to sea. The mortars and MG fire were lacing the beach in front of us. A moment behind Cpl Moorhead, L-Cpl Cooper who took up the lead when the Reginas' NCO was killed, was struck in the mid-section by a burst of MG fire, but somehow made it across 150 yards of water and beach only to drop in front of a 76mm gun which had two or three mortars supporting it with devastating crossfire. These MGs had the beach 'taped.' In army vernacular this means the beach area had previously been considered a possible landing place. The two, three or four MGs were sited in position to afford a field of fire from left and right at varying heights of 2 feet, 4 feet or perhaps 6 feet. In addition, remember there were all those anti-personnel and a/tank mines to deal with.
"My designated job was to immediately follow L-Cpl Cooper and get into position and place my General Wade charge on any gun position that was giving us trouble. I was a second or more behind him with my rifle at the port position, and my head down as if I was heading into a rain storm. I felt a bullet strike in my left leg and I stumbled for a second and almost went into the water. This moment of hesitation no doubt saved my life. Another burst of MG fire took the forestock off my rifle and passed through the front of my battledress blouse, at the same time letting the air out of my flimsy Mae West which had been almost deflated during the run-in. My ammo pouch was almost chewed up destroying some choc bars and cigarettes. The hand grenades remained intact. Thankfully my Wade wasn't hit.
My Longest Day
"I made it some yards past the 75mm manned by Gefrieter Karl Link, (Reg No 4222) and his 2 I/C whose name I have forgotten. We were in so close that the 75mm could not be depressed sufficiently to pour fire into our LCAs, but the MG 42s and others caused a lot of trouble. I managed to mount the four-foot embankment and pass the 75, but my leg gave out as I was still carrying the heavy breaching charge and other equipment which was part of my gear.
"At the rear of the 75 I met a Regina Rifleman who was also wounded. A 36 hand grenade was tossed into the open back door of the bunker — a bad mistake on the enemy's part having the rear door open — in fact it didn't even have a rear door. The one or two MGs changed positions and raked us from different areas. I could not go any further, so I rolled back down the embankment toward the beach. The MG fire was intense and I found a spot between Frank Franklin from Quesnel, B.C., and Jim Curran of St. John, B.C. Tommy MacDonald lay off to the right. He had been hit in the right shoulder area by MG fire. He rolled over and keeping low, made it into our midst. Later we found in England when Tommy was admitted to hospital that some of the bullets that hit him were wooden as well as the lead ones. He must have been very close to the German MG to stop the wooden bullets, as normally they would not have been effective or dangerous over a distance of five to ten yards. Tommy also stopped a couple of real bullets, but the wooden bullets caused infection. However penicillin quickly prevented gangrene.
"As I lay wedged between Franklin and Curran, I heard Frank say quietly: 'This is pretty grim.' And no wonder. I raised my head a few inches only to see the sand and dust kicked up a few inches in front of us as MG fire chewed up the sand in front of our faces. The German machine gunner had somehow moved to a position above us. An MG 42 or even a Spandau was too heavy to fire from a standing position — therefore this SOB was firing a Schmeiser. Spr Gene Velux had taken a position nearby with his Bren gun (LMG) which gave us some comfort should the enemy counter-attack.
"As firing from the enemy direction subsided under the unrelenting pressure of the Reginas’ and Winnipegs' attack it was possible by 9:30 or 10 A.M. to take a look at the situation and try to reorganize. Casualties littered the beach and behind us tanks from the 1st Hussars were struggling to get ashore. Some had 'drowned' and had to be abandoned. A couple made it into the town of Courseulles to support the Reginas where each Coy was taking out blocks or the sectors assigned to them. One tank from the Hussars put a shell directly into the aperture of the bunker housing a 75mm. We didn't realize this till after as we had already dealt with the gun crew. In reassessing the situation, at least 50% of our NCOs were casualties.
"After about two hours, German soldiers began to come to the beach. Once the Reginas passed through their positions they surfaced and were willing to surrender. Many kept at their MGs till out of ammunition, then they surrendered. The fight had gone out of many and they were quite relieved to sit on the sand under the embankment. Further along the beach to our right, where the Winnipegs had gone in, one German MG took cover and when the Winnipegs had passed over him in his hole, he sprayed the right flank of the Reginas causing several casualties among them and our Engineers. A German timidly raised his head in that area and I spotted him and picked up a rifle and beckoned him to come forwards. While he approached, I tried to cock the rifle, but it was filled with sand, and anyway if anyone behind him had fired at us, the rifle would have been useless. I can't say I took a prisoner — they all wanted to surrender. I speak German and French quite well, so with CSM Bruce McConnell of the Reginas, we frisked them and asked: Haben Sie pistols, Messer, catrone oder grenade? (Have you pistols, knives, cartridges or grenades on you?)
Prisoners Aid Wounded
"We who were wounded organized the POWs to go inland anyways and pick up any Canadian wounded. They were very cooperative and one very young German told me he knew where there was a whole box of medical supplies and I said 'OK' and Gene Velux went along, taking his Bren with him, just in case it was needed. One prisoner asked 'Sind Sie Tommy?' I told him we were Canadians. This had a sobering effect on them and they appeared to think it wasn't such a good idea to surrender to Canadians of all people! "Hours after the beach had been taken, a lone member of the R.C.A.M.C. came to us and we asked where were all the medics and he replied: 'I'm it!' The remainder had hit a mine or an artillery shell had struck their craft.
"During a quiet phase on the beach, a French woman and some children came near us. She was a very stately woman dressed in a high- collared black dress which reached down to her ankles. She spoke perfect English and asked Tommy MacDonald and myself if we would like a drink of something. Many were eager to have a drink but Tommy and I said 'No.' She asked why we refused. We replied `if you take a drink out of that bottle first, then we will drink.' She said: 'Oh, you suspect something dreadful, but I do not drink wine or alcohol.' To our surprise, she tilted the dark green bottle to her lips and took a drink. A Regina shouted 'that's enough' and although he was severely wounded in the upper right arm, he took the bottle and drank.
"During the initial assault, overhead there were two German planes broke through the clouds and obviously when they saw the spectacle below they decided to head back inland. At this point two Allied aircraft had spotted them and the chase was on in and out of the clouds, while down below we were shouting directions at them.
"From somewhere, a couple of boxes of compo rations appeared. It was well into the afternoon and no one had had anything to eat or drink, so this was welcome. Being a humanitarian, CSM Bruce McConnell of A Coy, suffering from a nasty shrapnel wound in his right shoulder blade asked me to get some food for the POWs for their assistance in carrying our wounded back to the beach. Some of the canned soup had a candle-like affair to heat them. This was something new to the Germans and when one was handed it, he shouted 'Grenade' and had to be restrained.
"After the battle on the beach, Sgt Bill Meek asked me what language I had been speaking that day. I couldn't remember each incident so told him it was either French or German. He asked: 'Why didn't you tell us you were trilingual?' And I could only reply: 'No one asked me.' Anyway, I didn't want to be sent to Field Intelligence. I was a combat soldier. There were two other men in the unit who could speak German: Otto Waltbauer, who was wounded at Cairon on July 9, and Percy Deuther from Winnipeg.
"Later the ships to evacuate the wounded arrived and I was ordered back to England and was interpreter for the POWs. On the way to England, many of the Krauts wanted to know what would happen to them. I kept them in suspense by telling them 'who knows?' One fellow tried to show me pictures of his wife and kids and said he didn't want to die if he was sent to a British hospital at Guilford.
"At the British hospital, when I refused to lie at attention for the Inspecting Officer, I was banished to No. 9 Canadian General Hospital at Horsham, where my friends were! "I lost most of my knee when I was wounded and though it was rebuilt, I never could depend on it too much. I did remain in a less strenuous area with the Army and many years later, after I had a fall because of that knee, I damaged my back and found it difficult to walk at times. That wound put an end to my hockey career too.
"To sum it up, I was there on June 6 in the first assault wave and had a ringside seat. I do remember a fair amount of the action that day. How could anyone forget? "I remember quite a few of my 6th Field comrades who were with me that day so many years ago. Among those killed or died of wounds are the following:
< >Spr MG Adams was killed at Courseulles.
Spr A. Bleoo was cut in half by an artillery or mortar shell on D-Day. He was from Quebec, a talented tailor who modified our battledress blouses (not regulation) to give us the Eisenhower jacket.
Spr R.N. Brewer was killed at Courseulles. Had a deep infectious laugh and a remarkable sense of humour.
L-Cpl George Cooper was very badly wounded at Courseulles and died shortly after. He was our sub- section leader from 2 Platoon. He was very confident and energetic. He was hit by a burst of MG fire in his mid-section. When things quieted down, I tried to comfort him. But all he wanted was a cigarette. He did not complain or moan. He lay quietly under the edge of the earthen bank near the shattered 75mm gun. George did not want to talk and appeared to be resigned to his fate — death. He died later on a hospital ship in the Channel on June 8.
L-Cpl T.K. (Jack) Ferguson was killed at Courseulles. He was a quiet, unassuming man from the Okanagan, B.C. A very talented tinsmith, during the early months in England, he used his blow torch to warm our tent and also brewed our coffee or tea. On June 6, a bullet entered a soft spot above his collarbone causing him to haemorrhage internally. He did not complain as I brushed the sand from his face and gave him a drink from my water bottle. He realized he would die and asked if I would take his ring and give it to his son Doug (name later changed to Jack by his mother). I tried to comfort him by telling him he would be OK. I couldn't stay with him much longer, and I didn't take his ring. He died later on a hospital ship in the Channel. His ring did reach his son, however, as I found out when I met his wife Betty 30 years later.
Spr A.T. Jackson died on the Courseulles beach.
Spr A.H. Johnston was killed in action. Although records indicate he died on D-Day, other sources of information determined he was killed at Reviers, Normandy, not Courseulles.
Spr L. Lacroix was killed on the beach. No details.
Spr A.J.L. (Les) Martin was almost too quiet and pleasant to be involved in a war. He was killed by MG fire in our assault. His death had a prolonged effect on his friend Murray Murdoch from the Turner Valley Oil Fields. Murray left the 6th on transfer to No. 1 Railway Operating Coy, R.C.E..
Spr J.E. Sawdon was a tall, quiet man from Winnipeg. He confided in me quite often and uncannily predicted his death before the D-Day landing. An MG bullet struck him between his eyes.
Sgt W. Bill Stewart was U.K. born and his mother Lady Stewart lived in England while he was stationed there during the war. He was a quiet man but could be angry when anyone incurred his displeasure. He was a close friend of Lt Neil Mustard, our CO of 2 Pl. Bill was found dead inshore from the beach with his Sten gun beside him and four or five dead German soldiers in front of him.
Spr Ray Sparkes was killed in action at Courseulles with the assault platoon. From Richmond Hill, Ont., he was about 23 years old when he was killed by MG fire. He desperately tried to crawl forward from where he fell as the first burst hit him. The MG kept firing at him until he stopped moving. Ray was a quiet, friendly person and did his best to close with the enemy after being hit several times. I didn't see him hit, but the details of his death were told to me by others who were near him during the attack.
Spr W. (Bill) Beehler was wounded when struck by MG fire at Courseulles. He was about 25 or 26 years and was from Toronto. He had a good sense of humour and did not appear to take any situation too seriously, no matter how adverse the conditions.
Spr O.W. Bezeau was wounded at Courseulles.
Spr J. Dussault was another wounded during the Courseulles assault.
Spr 0. Goodrum wounded June 6, but don't know the nature of his wounds.
Spr R.C. (Bob) Jackson was struck by MG fire in one of his shoulders. He kept one of the bullets with a bent tip as a souvenir. He and his close friend Jim Murray could direct anyone to interesting or entertaining parts of London. A very dependable person.
Spr T.G. (Tommy) MacDonald was hit in the shoulder by MG fire at close range. Some of the bullets were wooden and others conventional. The wooden ones were difficult to extract because they shattered and the splinters easily caused infection. He was the one while cocking his gun in the LCA sent a bullet skyward barely missing the rim of my helmet. Though out of the fighting, Tommy was instrumental in helping the wounded out of the water to a place of safety under the embankment. He recovered from his wounds and we met again in Holland. A few years later, while working in a railway yard in British Columbia, he was killed between two box cars he was coupling. He was born in B.C. and was a good English football player, and was about 24 when he disembarked on D-Day.
L-Sgt W.A. (Bill) Meek was a native of Stockton, California, who came to Vancouver and enlisted in the 6th Field Coy. He and two others — A.B. Lang and Frank Zarembinski — elected to remain with us while other U.S. men transferred to the American Army in England. Bill also was hit by MG fire and the bullets entered his back transversely nearly causing severe damage to his spine. The wound was serious enough to keep him in an oxygen tent for a considerable length of time. He was a slightly built man and his wound had very debilitating effects on his slim frame. He was a conscientious and friendly NCO and he died some years after the war in California.
Spr J.L. Poirier another Courseulles casualty, was a native of Millairdville and Port Moody, B.C., the largest and oldest French community in British Columbia. He was known as `Wilf' to everyone in the 6th Field. A bricklayer by trade, he allowed me to work with him and other bricklayers while building a Detention barracks in Headley, Hants, England in the summer of 1941. I was not a bricklayer, but I was willing to learn the skills of this exacting work. I was a hard rock miner but there was no call for gold mining in England. I enjoyed the bricklaying and Wilf and the others helped me considerably. Wilf was wounded in one of his feet by mortar fire or anti-personnel mine on D- Day. I met him again when I was released from hospital and we spent some time together in the Canadian Engineer Reinforcement Unit in Cove. I relied on him to keep up my practice of French.
Spr Norman Sopher was wounded on D-Day and came from Ontario. He was a polite and unassuming young man who was friendly with everybody. His strong religious faith made him confident he'd get through unscathed in the assault. He was upset and found it hard to understand when he became a casualty. Cpl P.H. (Phil) Wilkinson from British Columbia was also wounded in the landing. I was not near him when he was hit. But later in the day it was determined that three machine guns had the beach taped and were firing on fixed lines at different elevations which meant a soldier would be hit at different levels of his body. They were firing front and could not miss. And with him they didn't.
Spr Frank Zarembinski nicknamed 'Zari' was an American who remained with our regiment. A pleasant, happy-go-lucky chap he had a great sense of humour and was willing to accept any job to which he was assigned. He had many friends in England and he later married an English girl and was living in England when he died. During the war, his father was a Flight Engineer on bombers of the U.S.A.F.S/Sgt Garbutt Chapman; L/Sgt A. Glover; CSM Peter Willigen; Spr Gene Velux. S/Sgt Chapman and Spr Ralph Spencer were in hospital in England when the awards were announced.
"I didn't last long that D-Day, but I will never forget my baptism of fire. I'm sure that those that were there don't need reminding; but perhaps postwar Canadians maybe need to know more about it."
Sapper Ralph Charles Spencer Military Medal Citation
On 6 Jun 44 at 0730 COURSEULLES Spr Spencer landed on the Nan Green beach with “A” Coy Regina Rifles. As soon as he left the landing craft he was wounded in the left knee and leg by LMG fire from the beach defences. Notwithstanding his considerable wounds, and with complete disregard for his own safety, Spencer moved about the beach dragging the wounded further up the beach ahead of the rising tide. By this action, which took place under heavy fire Spencer, though out of the fighting himself, undoubtedly saved at least six wounded men from death by drowning.
The Military Medal (MM) is awarded to Warrant Officers, Non-commissioned Officers and non- commissioned members for individual or associated acts of bravery on the recommendation of a Commander-in-Chief in the field.