Weaponry and Equipment

Memories of D-day, Walcheren and VE day

The Port of Antwerp had been captured, virtually intact, in September but its use was denied because of...

Memories of Mulberry Harbour

BHQ was at Kilnsea Camp a few miles nearer Hull and probably the nearest actual unit to the point which...

From Ipswich to Foggia and Back: Memories of an RAF Bomb-Aimer

37 Squadron, still flying Wellingtons, now continued their advance up the east coast of Italy, supporting...

Liberation of Walcheren Island

Soldiers were dying on the beachhead and vehicles were being shelled by the German defences so best get off...

Minesweeping in the Royal Navy

There I was interviewed and I passed the interview board and was appointed to the naval RNVR Officers...

Enlistment and Training

Edwin did not enlist on his own, his cousin David Cole joined him, but they were soon split up after their...

The War Years 39 — 45

At this point you could really see how the technology had advanced, commandos had stolen plans for the Atom...

Homeland Defence

In 1943 I was apprenticed to be an aircraft designer with The Bristol Aeroplane Co., at their Filton Works,...

"CornCob" MS Innerton & HMS Despatch, 'Floating Mulberry Harbour'

CORNCOB’ MS INNERTON & HMS DESPATCH IN ‘THE FLOATING’ MULBERRY HARBOUR by William...

To and at Gibralter 42/43

This story records some of my recollections during WW2 I was at HMS Osprey the anti-submarine School at...

ML108 by Leslie J. Sprigg, Ex Leading Telegraphist

Now ready for battle; I was posted to HMS Wasp at Dover and my first boat ML108. We were taken in tow...

One Man's War

1940 During Dunkirk evacuation, Third R.T.R. sent on “Forlorn Hope” to Calais. Machine gun...

The War Away From the Homefront-A Personal Account

With only rough directions as to how to get to Vavuniya, a British base in North Ceylon, his squadron were...

Tank War

I was in 142 regiment Royal Armoured Corps - equipped with Churchill tanks; I sailed for North Africa from...

Cilvilians at War

I remember one day we tried to take a load to Coalhouse fort, which is a few miles further down the road,...

Egyptian Waterways

The small contingent of British Officers, NCOs and men, like Len Harrow, scattered in little ports and...

From Bullets To Buttons

My dad was with us , he had waked over the fields from Loscoe Miners Welfare, where he was the steward.We...

My Call-Up -Part Two

The next part of our training was a five weeks gunnery course, during this period we fired all manner of...

IV. Getting Ready for D-Day - 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards

Getting Ready for D-Day Heveningham Camp, Fort George, Chippenham Park and Stanswood Bay, Southampton....

A Tribute Final

After a well earned leave he was commissioned as Pilot Officer Eric Phillips No 170712 and became an...

The Sappers Story

As the flood waters receded this once ‘floating’ Bailey gradually dried out, as the pontoons...

HMS St Martin and Mulberry Harbour

As the day for the invasion of Europe loomed St Martin was sent down to Portland to take part in towing the...

Self - Catering Holiday in North Africa

That poor Wireless Op. underneath cursing the hot tea spilling down the back of his shirt as he tries to...

Another Day a New Life

My god how we must have stank in that heat with little water to spare for washing, and my best friend...

I had an Unusual War

This was followed by my next move to Northcoates in Lincolnshire, a Beaufighter 236 squadron of coastal...

Reminiscenes of a Veteran Sapper - 7

At the point where the South African Engineers subsequently threw over a massive Bailey bridge, and...