Issue No. 19 June 2019
The D-Day Issue In this issue: ◆
Voices of D-Day
Hear from some of the extraordinary men and women who recall D-Day ◆
D-Day Deception
Alan Spence examines the role of military deception in the Normandy landings ◆
The Treatment Revolution
We celebrate a landmark £7 million grant to the DNRC ◆
In the Midst of Battle
Supporter Jenifer Somerville discusses the D-Day exploits of her late husband, Brigadier Sir Nicholas Somerville cbe ◆
Revisited: Joseph Connor
Trooper Joseph Connor recounts his time in the Normandy Campaign
FrontLine | The D-Day Issue
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CONTENTS FEATURES VOICES OF D-DAY
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As we mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day, we hear from some of our beneficiaries who recall that momentous day
D-DAY DECEPTION
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Alan Spence explores the misinformation strategy designed to hide plans for D-Day from German military intelligence
DNRC GRANT
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We celebrate a landmark grant to the Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre
IN THE MIDST OF BATTLE
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We hear from supporter Jenifer Somerville, whose late husband Brigadier Sir Nicholas Somerville CBE stormed Gold Beach on D-Day
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REGULARS WELCOME
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From our Chief Executive, Major General (Ret’d) Martin Rutledge cb obe
OUR IMPACT
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A snapshot of our latest grant-giving activity
HOME FRONT
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The latest news from The Soldiers’ Charity
THE BIG PICTURE
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Archive imagery from the Normandy landings
CORPORATES, TRUSTS AND PARTNERSHIPS
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Highlights from the Partnerships team
NATIONAL EVENTS
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Inspiring tales from the National Events team
REVISITED We look back at the nerve and daring of Joseph Connor and his exploits with the 15th (Scottish) Reconnaissance Regiment in July 1944
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Issue 19 | June 2019
EDITOR’S LETTER THE D-DAY ISSUE
On 5-6th June 1944, an Allied force of 156,000 troops gathered for the largest amphibious invasion the world has ever seen. It is a moment inscribed in our national consciousness and the natural focus for this month’s FrontLine, as we mark 75 years since the D-Day landings. Our charity bears a close connection to the events surrounding D-Day. As the tide of the war began to turn, the Army Board in London was compelled to consider the welfare of its service personnel after peace was won. Thus, on 28th May 1944, mere days before D-Day, Winston Churchill’s War Cabinet approved the formation of the Army Benevolent Fund to care for the millions of British soldiers who would soon be returning to our shores. The ABF – as we were then known – came into being on 15th August 1944. It is therefore fitting that we should use this issue of FrontLine to reflect on individual connections to this global event. As the Army’s national charity, we are honoured to have supported soldiers, veterans and their immediate families since 1944, and in the past year have helped 33 veterans of World War Two.
In this issue, you will hear from some of our beneficiaries who recall that momentous day in 1944 and the Normandy Campaign which followed it. Elsewhere, writer Alan Spence discusses ‘Operation Copperhead’, an Allied misinformation strategy designed to mislead German intelligence as to the location of General Montgomery in the run up to the landings. General Montgomery would later go on to front our very first public appeal “Men At Arms” after the war. We also hear from supporter Jenifer Somerville, whose late husband Brigadier Sir Nicholas Somerville stormed Gold Beach with his Regiment on D-Day. Above all, the D-Day anniversary gives us occasion to reflect and give thanks for the tremendous courage and sacrifice of those who served – in the Normandy Campaign as in all subsequent conflicts – as we renew our commitment to serve them with the same resolution and vigour that has characterised our work since 1944. I hope you enjoy the issue.
Lizzie Stephens
Cover
FrontLine Issue No. 19
Troops of 51st Highland Division aboard a landing craft heading for Normandy, reading booklets on France which they were issued before embarkation, 7 June 1944.
The D-Day Issue, First published 2019. © ABF The Soldiers’ Charity. Whilst every effort is made to check the information in FrontLine, ABF The Soldiers’ Charity cannot accept responsibility for errors or omissions.
Editor
Special thanks
Design and Art Direction
ABF The Soldiers’ Charity
Lizzie Stephens
Leslie Fryatt Jeanette Fryatt Joan Sprigg Margaret Roberts Jenifer Somerville Joseph Connor
Pete Black Ltd
Registered Office: Mountbarrow House, 12 Elizabeth Street, London SW1W 9RB T 020 7901 8900 E info@soldierscharity.org
Contributors Alan Spence
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FrontLine | The D-Day Issue
CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S WELCOME Early summer is always a busy time for the charity, as we ‘close our books’ at the end of the financial year and focus our efforts on delivering another successful period. However, 2019 has been even busier than usual as we reflect on our 75th anniversary and ensure our work remains as relevant and focused as ever. By any standards, the last year was a good one for the charity. We raised over £17 million – a huge testament to the hard work of our staff and the many volunteers who support us. Of particular note was the 2019 Lord Mayor’s Big Curry Lunch, which saw us surpass the figure of £2 million raised over the lifetime of the Lunch for Her Majesty’s Armed Forces. Over £10 million was spent on grants to individuals and charities, representing a further 8% increase in our efforts. Equally significant was our additional £7 million grant to the new Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre at Stanford Hall, the world-class facility that supports our Wounded, Injured and Sick servicemen and women. Overall, the sheer breadth and variety of our support continues to astound me – funding some 92 charities operating in 68 countries around the world. What these figures illustrate is the extent to which we remain true to the purpose set out by our founders in 1944. Then, as now, we sustain serving soldiers, veterans and their families in close partnership with the Regimental and Corps charities. Practical, pragmatic and swift support is provided to those in need – as you would expect from the Army’s national charity. We continue to speak daily with the Army and the Regimental and Corps charities to ensure we are focused on current and future need, and can react quickly to fresh challenges as they emerge. I hope the ‘real’ Montgomery – as opposed to the individual described in our D-Day Deception article! – would be just as proud of our work today as he was in the aftermath of the Second World War, when he launched our inaugural appeal. As ever, on behalf of the charity and the individuals we help, I would like to extend my sincerest thanks to you for your support.
Martin Rutledge Chief Executive, ABF The Soldiers’ Charity Left - The Neurological Wing at the Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre (more on page 18) Right - The Rt Hon The Lord Mayor Alderman Peter Estlin and HRH The Duke of Sussex at The Lord Mayor’s Big Curry Lunch (more on page 24)
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Issue 19 | June 2019
OUR IMPACT As the Army’s national charity, the welfare of soldiers, past and present, and their immediate families is at the heart of everything we do. Since 1944, we have helped hundreds of thousands of people both in the UK and around the world. We do this through the provision of timely and confidential financial assistance, awarded to individuals and to partner charities that support the Army family at large. In addition, we support serving soldiers, veterans of all ages and their immediate families through the Regimental and Corps charities. In a typical year, the total of all Regimental and
Corps charitable expenditure on benevolence will be matched twice over by our contribution. The scale, breadth and range of our support is vast. In the previous year, we supported members of the British Army family in 68 countries around the world. The youngest person we helped was two years old and the eldest, 102. All applications are judged on merit – but need, not want, is our guiding principle. As we approach our 75th anniversary
in August, we do so with resolve and a renewed sense of purpose. As the NHS and other public services struggle in the face of various challenges, we continue to look for imaginative ways to support those in need. One such pilot initiative is our partnership with the Defence Medical Welfare Service, (discussed on page 5). Above all we remain agile and outward-looking; ready to respond to the ever-changing needs of the Army community we serve.
£17.3M*
£3.7M
92
£2.2M
70,000+
total charitable expenditure
was spent on grants to individuals averaging £15k per day, or £77k per week
number of charities and organisations we funded, totalling more than £4.0m
spent on supporting the military welfare ecosystem and necessary enabling activity
individuals in the Army family reached through our grants programme
19%
68
7,000+
2-102 YEARS
of all our grants supported the serving Army community
number of countries across the world in which we provided support to members of the British Army family
beneficiaries supported via phone, email or letter providing advice or signposting
the age range of our beneficiaries
* Charitable Expenditure also includes a wide array of governance activities including preand post-audit activity; support to the co-located delivery organisations in Mountbarrow House (our charity HQ offices); and our other efforts to explain to the Army and others what we do, and how we can help those in need – all part of being a grant-making charity.
All figures are merely an indication of charitable activity for the 2018-19 financial year and are subject to final confirmation following the July Trustee Board.
George Pas served as a Reservist with 6th Battalion The Rifles. In 2011, he sustained life-changing injuries in a motorbike accident and is now paralysed from the chest down, relying on a wheelchair for mobility. With our charity’s assistance towards the purchase of an off-road, motorised wheelchair, he was able to rediscover his love of being outdoors and reconnect with his young family.
“The new wheelchair has brought everyone closer together. The kids are happy putting their wellies on and running through the water, and now I can do that too.” 03
FrontLine | The D-Day Issue
HOME FRONT The latest news from The Soldiers’ Charity Celebrating a special relationship Fittingly, this issue of FrontLine gives us occasion to celebrate the cherished transatlantic partnership between ABF The Soldiers’ Charity and our American partner, The Soldiers Fund. Our two charities enjoy a close relationship and are united in our shared desire to support British and American soldiers, veterans and their immediate families. Last November, The Soldiers Fund held an event in Boston, Massachusetts, to commemorate the centenary of the First World War. The day began with a re-dedication of a memorial to fallen American and British troops at Old North Church – a site once famous for its role in the American Revolution and immortalised in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, ‘Paul Revere’s Ride.’ The memorial was formerly for US Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, but following the ceremony, it now commemorates British and Commonwealth lives as well. Our charity President, General Sir Mike Jackson, attended the ceremony and gave an address. He reflected on the irony of Old North Church becoming the site of a tribute to British troops. He observed that the Revolution was “a temporary parting of the ways” between our two nations and saluted American and British soldiers who “gave their lives in order that we may enjoy ours.” The Right Rev. Alan M. Gates, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, added in prayer that “the history of our Anglo-American heritage reminds us that our hostilities do cease, and that enmity can be transformed into bonds of deepest friendship.” The evening continued at a gala dinner held at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Boston, with addresses from The Soldiers Fund Chairman, Simon Boyd; General Sir Mike Jackson and
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Top. L-R: Mr Simon P. Boyd, Chairman of The Soldiers Fund; Mrs Ingrid Boyd; General Sir Mike Jackson; General (Ret’d) Martin Dempsey KBE; Mrs Peggy Batchelder; Mr Richard D. Batchelder, Jr. Board Director, The Soldiers Fund. Bottom: LtCol. Enoch Woodhouse II (USAF, Ret). World War II veteran and Tuskegee airman with General Sir Mike Jackson.
General (Ret’d) Martin E. Dempsey, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under the then president, Barack Obama. The event raised over £38,000 for The Soldiers’ Charity for our work supporting the Army family. We remain grateful to The Soldiers Fund for their unwavering support and look forward to working in partnership with them for many years to come. The 2019 Gala will take place on 1st November, with
speeches from The Soldiers’ Charity Chairman, Lt Gen Phil Jones, and 26th US Secretary of Defense, General James Mattis, USMC (Ret’d).
To find out more about The Soldiers Fund and their work for the Army family in the US, visit
soldiersfund.org
Issue 19 | June 2019
Working in partnership with the Defence Medical Welfare Service In 2017, we received news that our bid for £1.2m was funded by the Chancellor of the Exchequer using LIBOR funds. This grant has allowed for a bespoke medical welfare service for the Armed Forces community in hospitals across South England and is being delivered by our partner, the Defence Medical Welfare Service (DMWS). Now in its ninth month, the project has helped an incredible 428 service users alongside 516 family members and staff. The remit of the project, which has so far placed
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo awards over £320,000 to our charity Following the success of its annual spectacular, The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo donated £1 million to 13 UK-based charitable military organisations and arts bodies – including a £323,500 donation to ABF The Soldiers’ Charity.
six Welfare Officers in NHS Trusts throughout the South of England, is to take referrals from the military community who are in the medical care pathway. This includes both serving and former soldiers as well as their family members. Alex Hill of 42 Engineer Regiment is one of those who has benefited from the scheme. Alex suffered a stroke whilst taking part in a physical training exercise, aged 33. With the support of DMWS Welfare Officers Sara and Jason, he is now receiving treatment at the Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre and making fantastic progress with his recovery. To read more about our support for the Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre, turn to page 18.
Delivering a roster of world-class events rooted in Scottish tradition and military history, the Tattoo has delighted and astonished generations of spectators since its inauguration in 1950. The event has a long history of charitable giving and we are honoured to have been chosen, once again, as one of its beneficiary charities. We would like to thank the Tattoo for such a generous donation, which will help us continue to support soldiers, veterans and their immediate families in the UK and beyond.
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo 2019 will take place from 2nd-24th August and will capture the imagination of its audience in “Kaleidoscope”. Exploring colour, music and light, the 2019 Tattoo is inspired by the optical invention created by Scottish physicist Sir David Brewster in 1816. To book tickets, visit
edintattoo.co.uk/tickets
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FrontLine | The D-Day Issue
HOME FRONT – CONTINUED Airborne medics put the pedal to the metal for the Army family To commemorate the 75th anniversaries of D-Day and Operation Market Garden, 24 airborne medics took on a punishing challenge for ABF The Soldiers’ Charity. In January, 24 troops from Colchester’s 19 Medical Squadron, 16 Medical Regiment, set out to cycle 435 miles in 24 hours on an exercise bike at Colchester’s Merville Barracks – equivalent to the distance from the D-Day beaches in Normandy to the John Frost Bridge in Arnhem. The team truly went the extra distance – covering a total of 517 miles in 24 hours and raising £741.15 for our charity.
Organiser Private Keith Ross said: “It’s been a great event that’s tested everyone who took part physically, built up our team spirit, paid tribute to the history of airborne forces and raised money for a charity that works hard to support soldiers. Each of us needed to cover 18 miles in an hour to cover the distance, but everyone was really motivated and so we went that much further!”
Inspired to organise your own fundraising event for the Army family? Head over to our website for more information:
soldierscharity.org/ support-us/fundraisingarmy/
The Soldiers’ Charity supports military families at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham We are delighted to announce that our sponsorship of the Wellington Room at Fisher House UK, the ‘home away from home’ for military patients and families at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB), will continue for another year. Since 2016, our charity has provided an annual grant to sponsor one of the facility’s 18 bedrooms, providing a safe space within walking distance of the hospital where families can adjust, relax and spend time with their loved ones away from the wards. Justine Davy, Head of Fundraising at QEHB Charity, said: “Our thanks go to ABF The Soldiers’ Charity for its grant which will help us to provide military families with the very best experience at Fisher House whilst their loved ones are
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The Wellington Room at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, supported by The Soldiers’ Charity.
being treated. Since opening in 2013, Fisher House has provided free accommodation for over 4,300 people, amounting to over 23,000 nights. This has taken away a huge financial burden for countless families over the years, and will continue to do so into the future, with thanks to ABF The Soldiers’ Charity.”
Issue 19 | June 2019
Jersey Roast Beef Luncheon raises almost £40,000 for The Soldiers’ Charity In April, our Jersey Chairman organised the inaugural Jersey Roast Beef Luncheon in association with The London Roast Beef Club. Formed in 2008, the London Luncheon took its name from the French term for the English - “Les Rosbifs” – when a group of 30 friends, led by Joel Baseley, came together to celebrate St George’s Day. Now in its twelfth year, the Luncheon is an annual fixture in London and Hong Kong, and Jersey were delighted to be asked to join forces. Monies raised from the Jersey luncheon were split between The Soldiers’ Charity and Rock2Recovery. Guests gathered at noon at the Island’s Weighbridge and were transported by the Jersey Military Vehicles Group in WW2 trucks to
L-R: Captain Mike Billings, Captain Dirk Nuesink and Staff Sergeant Al Bruce at the Jersey Roast Beef Luncheon.
Le Quesne Barracks, Mount Bingham – home of the local reservist Field Squadron. Guests including Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton and Lady Dalton enjoyed a sumptuous roast beef lunch and an auction. The event was a great success, raising £36,000 for ABF The Soldiers’ Charity.
It is hoped that this will become an annual event in Jersey and continue to raise vital funds for The Soldiers’ Charity for many years to come. We are incredibly grateful for this initiative and thank all involved in the Roast Beef Luncheon (both in Jersey and London) for their wonderful support.
The Soldiers’ Charity partners with the Leicester Curry Awards 2019 This year, our charity had the privilege of being a charity partner of the Leicester Curry Awards. Now in its third year, the awards celebrate the county’s vibrant Asian heritage and the culinary craftsmanship that makes Leicester one of the nation’s most prized curry destinations. The awards culminated in a red-carpet event at the Athena in Leicester in April. Hosted by Sameena Ali Khan, guests enjoyed a spectacular feast and entertainment from De Montfort University Gospel Choir. At the end of the evening, Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire and President of our Leicestershire and Rutland Committee, Mr Mike Kapur OBE, accepted a cheque for £1,000 on
L-R: Maj Wes Quigley, Mr Dave Roberts, Mrs Lil Wiles, Lt Col (Ret’d) Stu Wiles, Mrs Boo Wakefield, Col David Wakefield OBE, Lt Col Martyn Thompson MBE
behalf of the charity. Lieutenant Colonel (Ret’d) Stuart Wiles, Regional Director East Midlands, said: “A fantastic evening was had by all – indulging your taste buds and expanding the waistline, the dilemma we all faced; enjoying the former and just accepting the latter!”
A Big Curry Lunch is a delicious way to support soldiers, veterans and their families. To find more, visit: soldierscharity.
org/big-curry/
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FrontLine | The D-Day Issue
VOICES OF D-DAY 75 years ago, Allied forces transformed the beaches of Normandy into a battleground for Europe’s future. Now we hear from some of the extraordinary men and women who remember that momentous day, from the battlefields to the home front.
British troops pose with French civilians in La Brèche d’Hermanville, 6 June 1944.
Leslie Fryatt SERVICE NUMBER: 14310168 | RANK: GUNNER | REGIMENT: ROYAL ARTILLERY Leslie Fryatt (known as Les) was born one of 16 children in South London in January 1924. He joined the Army at 18 and reported to Naughton Barracks, Worcestershire, before being selected for gunnery training. From there he joined the Royal Artillery in St Albans. In June 1944, Les returned to London with his regiment. On D-Day, he departed from the London docks aboard the MV Empire General, landing near Caen on D-Day Plus One. As they approached land, Les and his comrades shinnied 08
down a rope ladder against the side of the ship to the landing craft. He was weighed down with two packs, pouches and a rifle. As Les put his foot on the landing craft, it moved suddenly and he was left with one foot dangling as his friends shouted: “Come on Fryatt, jump!” The landing craft swung closer to the ladder and Les managed to scramble onboard. He remembers: “The chaps were laughing – couldn’t stop laughing!” In Normandy, enough ground had been gained to bring in the guns. As part of a 5-man detatchment,
Les operated 5.5 Howitzer guns supporting the infantry down on the beaches. He witnessed the destruction of Caen and later played a crucial role destroying German positions inland. “I wasn’t frightened,” Les remembers. “Why wasn’t I frightened?” Les fought his way across Europe, spending time in Holland before crossing the Rhine. He was in Berlin for VE day, and was subsequently awarded the Légion d’Honneur for the part he played in the liberation of France.
Issue 19 | June 2019
Vehicles and men aboard a landing craft during the passage to Normandy, 6th June 1944.
Jeanette Fryatt Les’s wife Jeanette was 9 years old in June 1944 and living in Busby, near Glasgow. In the run up to D-Day, she remembers local men in reserved occupations receiving abuse from women whose husbands had been killed in the fighting. Farming was a reserved occupation, but several men still bowed to pressure and joined up, leaving the farms short-handed for the potato harvest.
“I don’t suppose it’s on any record, but the potatoes were needing to be harvested. And so the farmers wrote to our parents to ask for help. And my mother said: ‘Oh yes Jeanette, I knew you’d like a day’s holiday!’ So I was sent to harvest the potatoes. We were picked up from school in lorries and headed into the country. The lorries only had very low sides, so they told us to hold onto a partner or the side of the lorry. We had a whale of a time! Nowadays it would be shock horror – child labour! But we felt so proud that we were doing something. We were helping the war effort. I remember my head being ten times the size!”
“We weren’t really told anything; we just started doing intensive training, waterproofing the vehicles and going out to sea. When we left London we were on the troop lorries and people were shouting: “Give ‘em hell lads” and we thought something really must be happening. When the time came, we loaded onto a liner and sailed through the night until we disembarked at Caen. We went about two miles inland and took up the first gun position.” Les
Jeanette
In 2014, Les and Jeanette were supported by The Soldiers’ Charity with funding for home adaptations and a walk-in shower. They remarked: “We think it’s wonderful how the British people will so easily open their purses, we appreciate it so much.” 09
FrontLine | The D-Day Issue
Joan Sprigg SERVICE NUMBER: W/167662 | RANK: PRIVATE | REGIMENT: AUXILIARY TERRITORIAL SERVICE (ATS)
Members of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), pictured at an anti-aircraft gun site in Britain, December 1942.
Joan was born in 1924 and grew up in Bordesley Green, Birmingham. Aged 15 in 1939 and desperate to do her bit for the war effort, Joan lied about her age so she could join the Air Raid Precautions (ARP). She later transferred to the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) “to do or die for England.” After basic training, Joan was transferred to RAF Uxbridge, London, to work as a secretary at HQ 2nd Anti-Aircraft Command, one of seven command groups responsible for the anti-aircraft
artillery and searchlight formations across the British Isles. The 2nd Anti-Aircraft group covered the Solent, South East England and East Anglia. When discussing the role women played in the war effort, Joan says: “I like to think we did play a vital part in helping the country in her hour of need.” Joan married sailor Leslie Sprigg in 1945 and went on to have three children. She has lived at The Royal Star & Garter Homes’ Solihull Home since December 2016 and is a wellloved figure around the Home. Joan,
pictured at her wedding to Leslie, 1945.
“We knew that it was coming, that something was imminent. There was a great deal of activity immediately before the D-Day landings. When the balloon went up on 6th June, we were very busy moving anti-aircraft guns to different parts of the south east corner of England. From our base in Uxbridge you could hear the naval guns involved in the Normandy invasion. It was a terrible, terrible noise. It was a combined operation and the Army, Navy and RAF all had their designated roles. The organisation which was commanded by Eisenhower was meticulously plotted and did go pretty much according to plan. I was engaged to a very dashing sailor who was on a motor torpedo boat. He took part in D-Day landings. It was organised chaos. I wasn’t to know he was taking part, but I had a good idea he’d be involved. Thank goodness things went our way. There was a tremendous loss of life and a lot of heartache, but it was the beginning of the end of the war.” 10
Joan
Issue 19 | June 2019
Margaret Roberts Margaret Roberts was born in Birmingham in 1932. Her father served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War as a Navy gunner on merchant ships. Just a child when war was declared, Margaret lived through the Birmingham Blitz. She recalls hiding in her grandmother’s cellar, “I was petrified, I used to go into shock but on reflection it has a sort of bearing on the person you grow into.” Margaret, as a young woman and husband, Charlie, pictured whilst in the Army.
Margaret’s husband, Charlie, served in the Army during the Korean War and later in Hong Kong. Margaret herself worked as a teacher until her seventies. She initially joined the Royal Star & Garter Homes as a guest of the Star & Garter day care club, later becoming a resident at its Solihull Home. She observes: “The Royal Star & Garter Homes gives me a feeling of belonging, of worth.”
Last year, The Soldiers’ Charity provided grants to numerous charities and organisations to deliver specialist services to members of the Army family. One such organisation is The Royal Star & Garter Homes. The Royal Star & Garter Homes is a charity founded in 1916 to care for severely disabled young men returning from the battlefields of WWI. 100 years on, it has evolved to provide specialist short- and long-term care for veterans living with disability or dementia in its three homes in Solihull, Surbiton and High Wycombe.
“On that particular day I remember quite suddenly an awful lot of planes going over our cottage. Some of them had gliders attached to them. I was living with my grandmother and aunt, and they were outside, crying and sobbing and waving tea towels.
The Soldiers’ Charity is proud to provide long-term support to The Royal Star & Garter Homes, with our most recent grant being for £60,000. This enables individuals like Joan and Margaret to live full and comfortable lives surrounded by caring staff and friends.
They must have had some idea of what was going on, but I couldn’t understand why they were crying. I didn’t know what was happening as I was just a child.” Margaret
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HELP THOSE WHO HAVE GIVEN SO MUCH. By leaving a gift in your Will, you can give back to soldiers, veterans & families for life.
Find out more about leaving a gift in your Will to The Soldiers’ Charity. Call: 020 7811 3694 Email: legacies@soldierscharity.org Web: www.soldierscharity.org/legacies ABF The Soldiers’ Charity is a registered charity in England and Wales (1146420) and Scotland (039189). Registered as a company limited by guarantee in England and Wales (07974609). Registered Office: Mountbarrow House,12 Elizabeth Street, London SW1W 9RB.
Issue 19 | June 2019
D-DAY DECEPTION: A WEB OF WINNING LIES Alan Spence explores the role of military deception in the run up to D-Day.
L: General Bernard Law Montgomery. R: Meyrick Edward Clifton James, in the guise of General Montgomery (coloured by Jecinci).
General Montgomery (“Monty”) was famously a staunch non-drinker and non-smoker, but he’d had quite a few swigs from a bottle of gin he’d managed to smuggle onto Churchill’s private plane at RAF Northolt on his way to Gibraltar to meet with the Governor Sir Ralph Eastwood. Not wanting him to make a bad impression on arrival, Monty’s staff insisted the pilot circle for an hour or so whilst they coaxed their man into better shape before landing. Later, at a reception hosted by the Governor, Monty was again less than discreet when some other guests heard him mention a forthcoming amphibious invasion of France from the Mediterranean – and then there was talk of him being spotted secretly drinking. Gibraltar behind him, Monty and his party flew on to Algiers for meetings with General Maitland Wilson, Supreme Commander Mediterranean, with whom he made several public appearances. But talk of illicit drinking followed him to Algiers and
his handlers decided to take no more chances, bundling him on to a plane to Cairo where he was hidden safely away until well after D-Day. Yes, you’ve got it (probably from the beginning, even if you’ve never heard the story before!) – it wasn’t the real Monty. But the jury remains out on whether the Germans thought that at the time. The would-be Monty was a prewar actor born in Australia named Meyrick Edward Clifton James and now of the Army Pay Corps - with an extraordinary physical likeness to Monty. He didn’t, though, share his drinking habits which potentially could have blown the plot. British Intelligence figured an apparent quick spin to the Mediterranean and back shortly before the real D-Day could be a valuable feint in an area where enemy spies were active. After all, why would he be down there if he was about to lead an invasion army across the Channel? And judging by Monty’s comments
made (deliberately) at the Governor’s reception, the invasion might be coming on France’s Mediterranean Coast. Did this ruse work? Unclear, but it got traction up the German command chain, sowing some confusion with some German officials thinking it was Monty himself, though regarding it as some sort of deception. The Monty “Double” operation, code-named Copperhead, was one of the more entertaining deception plans which came under Operation Bodyguard, the over-arching plan established in 1943 and authorised on Christmas Day that year to develop and perpetrate the ultimate Allied deception of the war to conceal the timing, location and thrust of the invasion now planned for Normandy. To achieve this, they set out to persuade the Germans that the invasion would come in the Pas de Calais area of northern France. This was, in any case, a logical place which German commanders and Hitler himself already believed would be the 13
FrontLine | The D-Day Issue
Clockwise: The real General Montgomery, Italy 1943; Captain Lasdun of the Royal Engineers briefs men ahead of D-Day, June 1944; Troops of 50th Division wade ashore on Gold Beach, 6th June 1944); FUSAG commander, US General George S. Patton.
most likely spot on the simple grounds that it represented the shortest distance for the invasion force to travel from southern England and for the Allied air forces to fly missions to the battle zone. Further, in addition to masking the date of the invasion, Bodyguard also required the Germans to be deceived into keeping their reinforcements in the Pas de Calais area up to two weeks after the invasion had taken place in Normandy – in other words convincing them that the latter was merely a feint and they would soon be heading for Calais regardless. The big advantage for the architects of Bodyguard - and the big disadvantage for the Germans - was the huge length of European coastline along which one or more invasions could take place from the Arctic Circle down the North Sea, through the Channel and along France’s Atlantic Coast – as well as along France’s Mediterranean Coast from Spain across to Italy. 14
The Allies also enjoyed other massive advantages, principal amongst them being the Ultra intelligence which poured out of Bletchley Park, a forerunner of GCHQ (this year marking its Centenary) as a result of the British cracking Germany’s Enigma codes early in the war. This provided vital intelligence on what the enemy was doing and thinking – including how much they were buying into deception operations. Further, Germany’s spy network in the UK had been wiped out with many of its operators turned into double agents skilled and adept at passing false intelligence back to their former masters – an ideal conduit for Allied deception. In contrast, the Allies had a very active intelligence network operating in France, partly drawing off the activities of the French Resistance and also linking into sabotage and other daring operations by Britain’s Special Operations Executive – SOE.
In order to achieve its objectives, the perpetrators of Bodyguard established a number of narratives which they sought to sell to the Germans. In 1944 the Strategic Air Offensive – the intensive bombing of Germany by day and night, by the USAAF and the RAF – was at its height and there was a genuine belief in some circles that the Allies could bomb their way to victory by reducing German cities and economic infrastructure to rubble, negating the need for the biggest amphibious invasion in history – with all its attendant risks. Bodyguard amplified the narrative and fed it to the Germans accompanied by figures showing the vast current and forthcoming availability of bombers to do the job. The main deception narratives though focused on location – and in this, as mentioned, the planners were spoilt for choice – and took full advantage, drawing up invasion
Issue 19 | June 2019
plans for the length of the European coastline including Norway and France, as well as France’s Mediterranean Coast. The main focus was on Scandinavia and the Pas de Calais. To develop and administer the deception programme, a major subsidiary operation, Fortitude, was created – which itself was broken down to Fortitude North to target Scandinavia and Fortitude South directed at the Pas de Calais. The modus operandi of both was similar – and was based on creating two new fictional armies - the British Fourth Army (BFA) based in Scotland to threaten Scandinavia and the First US Army Group (FUSAG) based in southern England to threaten the Pas de Calais. BFA’s creation was founded on huge volumes of false radio traffic and was made to come alive in the minds of the enemy by the persuasive powers of double agents. Its main thrust was to keep German troops locked down in Norway. FUSAG had the honour of being commanded by General Patton – deliberately so as he was the aggressive, buccaneering US General Promotional poster from the 1958 film, I was Monty’s Double, starring Meyrick Edward Clifton James as himself.
the Germans feared and respected most. Again false radio traffic and leaks through double agents were fundamental to validating its existence, although this was supplemented with fake equipment, including mocked-up landing craft. Such deception wasn’t new – it was used for example in the run up to the Battle of El Alamein in North Africa where model tanks were built from various materials, including cardboard and wood. But the vast, concentrated and intensive work which went into creating them, coupled with the credibility of the story tellers – the double agents – made them “come to life”. FUSAG’s life had to be especially vivid in the minds of the enemy as it had two roles. Firstly, it had to appear to be a sufficiently large threat for it to be the main invasion force even after the Normandy landings in order to keep the Germans locked down in the Pas de Calais whilst the Normandy beach head was broadened and consolidated. The plan was to provide the Allies with 14 days to do this: but in the end the Germans waited seven weeks to
shift a large body of the forces in the Pas de Calais region and launch them into the Battle of Normandy. This was due in no small part to the work of a Spanish double-agent Juan Pujol Garcia alias “Garbo”, totally trusted by the Germans as one of their agents whilst working all the time for the British – indeed he was awarded the Iron Cross by the Germans, and an MBE by the British! Finally, as for Meyrick Edward Clifton James – last seen heading for a bout of enforced obscurity in Cairo – he soon returned to Britain and his Army Pay Corps job which he played out for the rest of the war. De-mobbed in 1946, he couldn’t find work and had to sign on for employment benefit to help provide for his wife and two children. That, though, wasn’t the end of the story. In 1954, James published an account of his adventure entitled “I was Monty’s Double” which was made into a film in 1958 starring John Mills and Cecil Parker – and James as Montgomery, as well as himself! He died in 1963 aged 65 in the south coast town of Worthing.
Alan Spence is a writer and publisher with a specialism in military history. His latest project is SSAFA D-DAY 75, the military charity’s publication marking the 75th Anniversary of the Normandy landings. He is a Director Emeritus of the Royal Air Force American Foundation, a former Trustee of the Royal Air Force Museum and served for eight years as a Director of the Atlantic Council in Washington DC.
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FrontLine | The D-Day Issue
THE BIG PICTURE On 5-6th June 1944, Allied forces converged on a near contiguous stretch of the Normandy coastline. Their goal? To establish a second front in North-West Europe and usher on the close of the war. These archive images show key moments in the timeline of the landings and capture some of the spirit of the time.
Vehicles of 168 Field Ambulance RAMC, attached to 8th Armoured Brigade, aboard USS LST-25 off Gold assault area, 6 June 1944.
Airborne troops of 6th Airlanding Brigade admire the graffiti chalked on the side of their Horsa glider at an RAF airfield as they prepare to fly out to Normandy as part of 6th Airborne Division’s second lift on the evening of 6 June 1944.
Troops and vehicles aboard an LST head for the enemy coast, 6 June 1944.
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Troops from 50th Division coming ashore from LSI(L)s, Gold area, 6 June 1944.
Troops from 50th Division coming ashore from LSI(L)s, Gold area, 6 June 1944.
Troops and vehicles of 3rd Division waiting to move inland from La Brèche d’Hermanville.
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FrontLine | The D-Day Issue
OVER £7 MILLION AWARDED TO THE DEFENCE AND NATIONAL REHABILITATION CENTRE This year, we are celebrating a landmark grant to the new Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre (DNRC) to provide a world-class Neurological Wing for the nation’s Armed Forces. This grant represents the largest single award ever given by ABF The Soldiers’ Charity. It is a fitting tribute for our 75th Anniversary year as we mark our enduring commitment to providing the very best support for soldiers, veterans and their immediate families and reflect on the great strides taken in care, rehabilitation and support for our Armed Forces personnel since 1944. The new facility will include the former Defence Medical
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Rehabilitation Centre, which has recently completed a move from Headley Court in Surrey where it has stood since the Second World War. The centre began life as RAF Headley Court, a small hospital for RAF personnel injured during the war. Since then, it has been transformed into a tri-service centre at the cutting edge of medical rehabilitation. This move to Stanford Hall represents the next step on that journey, promising the very best care
for our military and representing the nation’s commitment to the Armed Forces personnel who serve it. The centre will draw on expertise in defence medicine developed at Headley Court over nearly 70 years of existence, enabling it to flourish and grow into a bespoke, state-of-the-art new clinical facility. Our charity has also provided funds for the centre’s welfare fund and Norton House, which provides accommodation for families.
Issue 19 | June 2019
“As the Army’s national charity, it is appropriate that we make a significant contribution to this world-class facility where soldiers injured in recent operations can be provided with the best possible care. We are delighted to be awarding this grant at this point in our history. 75 years ago, the Army Benevolent Fund was created to provide support to soldiers returning home from the Second World War. This grant continues the commitment made by our founders to help soldiers who have served their country and their immediate families to live with independence and dignity.” Martin Rutledge Chief Executive ABF The Soldiers’ Charity
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Supporter Stories: Brigadier Sir Nicholas Somerville CBE You may have heard us mention our ‘Army family’. This refers both to Y t soldiers, veterans and families we help, and to the community of the s supporters that makes that help possible. R Recently, we visited Jenifer, who was inspired to support our charity by h husband, Brigadier Sir Nicholas Somerville (known as Nick). As a her y young Intelligence Officer, Nick stormed Gold Beach during D-Day with h regiment, The South Wales Borderers (24th Regiment), and went on to his have a long and distinguished career in the British Army. It gives us pride and pleasure to share his story with you.
D-Day Landings From the Memoir of Brigadier Sir Nicholas Somerville, 1944 3rd June unne 1944 444
The Battalion received orders to embark in landing craft in preparation for D-Day. We moved secretly out of the New Forest in closed 3 ton lorries... arriving at Lymington we found our three Light Craft Infantry were from the US Navy and the American skippers gave us a great welcome on board. In the afternoon we steamed out...
4th thh & 5th thh June unne 1944 444
The following morning the weather blew up with wind and rain. A Royal Marine signal in semaphore from the stern read “OVERLORD” postponed 24 hours”... with another day to spend moored to the dockside, arrangements were made for men to go ashore into an empty warehouse where tables and writing materials were available for them to write a last letter home.
6th thh June unne 1944 444 0900 1030 1500 2300
About 0900 hrs we arrived off the beaches... Cruisers were firing broadsides and destroyers were going right into fire point blank at German strong points. There was a cloud of smoke obscuring the beaches and the villages of Le Hamel and Arromanches where the 50th Division’s assault had gone in at 0730 hrs. We grounded some way out from the beaches and we had to wade ashore... on the way up to the assembly area we had twelve casualties from mortar fire and a couple from snipers. We reached our assembly area. Just beyond La Rosière the carriers ran into an enemy Light Machine Gun and Capt. Wickert stood up in his carrier to fire a burst of Bren at it and knocked it out in one. This was first blood. We pushed on and reached the bridge at Vaux-sur-Aure by about 2300 hrs. We managed to get the Battalion firm-based on this bridge by midnight.
7th thh June unne 1944 444 0400
At 0400 hrs we got ready to push on and moved at 0430 hrs to get on to the high ground N.W. of Bayeux. We arrived to find the whole area full of snipers in the orchards... the result was that once we had got into a defensive position based on Le Parquet, the battle developed into section stalks in the orchards trying to get these snipers. Meanwhile ‘A’ Coy led by Major Dauncey had pushed out to the right to try and capture the bridge at Sully, where they were supposed to form a junction point with the Americans. They ran into pretty stiff opposition, and withdrew to the Battalion area to report that Sully was held in strength.
8tth June 8th unne 1944 444 1230
The Commanding Officer had orders to clear Sully of the enemy and hold it until the Americans arrived. No accurate information was available as to the force holding Sully, but it was thought that it was in the nature of 100 men. The attack was launched at 1230 hrs and in the initial stages, our troops advanced too close to the guns and we had a few shrapnel casualties.
1924
Nick is born in Brecon to Captain Desmond Somerville of The South Wales Borderers (24th Regiment), and his wife Moira (née Roche).
1943
Nick receives his commission into The South Wales Borderers (24th Regiment). He was always destined for the 24th, with a cousin receiving the Victoria Cross in the Boer War and his father being awarded the Military Cross in the Anglo-Zulu War.
1944
On D-Day, Nick storms Gold Beach with the 24th - the only regiment which succeeds in their objective. Their securing of the city of Bayeux later meant that the Germans could not retreat through it, thus preserving its historic centre for future generations to enjoy.
ir An extract from Nick’s Memo
tty tough. On “Life as a recruit was pre with a suit of ued iss e wer first day we
the te set of webbing battle dress, a comple gas mask. All our equipment, tin hat and ing pyjamas were lud inc civilian clothes e uniform only until posted home and we wor the end of the war. advantage of my At the start I had the I could march ng. ini tra Winchester OTC ct in rifle properly and also instru te of these rough spi weapon training. In great sense of conditions there was a with the platoon… comradeship and humour t us closer ugh A surprising event bro be marched us all com Slo nt together. Sergea tre for our TAB down to the Medical Cen ed arm we marched in injections. With a bar who jabbed a large tor doc single file past a t by. The unchanged needle into us as we wen blunter… The whole needle got blunter and and collapsed to te whi platoon went ashen out that we had all the ground. It turned e and we had to been given a double dos g on our beds.” spend 48 hours recoverin
1949
1945
Nick is Mentioned in Dispatches whilst fighting in Europe.
Nick meets 18-year-old Jenifer Nash at the wedding of his brother Dan. The meeting was foretold - a decade earlier, the then 8-year-old Jenifer had pointed out Nick in a photograph and informed his mother: “Give my love to my future husband”.
1968
1950
Nick is Mentioned in Dispatches again - this time in Aden.
1972
Nick is appointed a Commander of the British Empire.
2014
Nick asks Jenifer to marry him. “We had stopped to look at a wonderful starlit night and I asked her to marry me. I remember a catch in my heart, but not for long, because she threw her arms around me and I have never known such happiness”. They are married the following year.
1985
Nick is Knighted for political services.
Nick recounts his experiences of D-Day on the BBC, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the landings.
2018
Nick passes away, aged 94. He is remembered as a kind, engaging and courageous man. Jenifer organises a collection at his funeral and sends proceeds to ABF The Soldiers’ Charity.
“I just thought that it was something Nick would have liked. I knew it would go to a really good cause.” Jenifer Somerville
Giving in Memory Donating in Memory is a special way to remember a loved one. For more information about how you can give a gift in memory including Tribute Funds and collections. Please visit soldierscharity.org/donate/in-memory/
FrontLine | The D-Day Issue
CORPORATES, TRUSTS & PARTNERSHIPS Rooting for veterans with the National Garden Scheme Since April 2017, The Soldiers’ Charity has been honoured to receive support from the National Garden Scheme (NGS). The NGS gives visitors unique access to over 3,500 exceptional private gardens in England and Wales with the funds raised through admissions costs and the sale of refreshments going towards nursing and health charities. In addition to this, the NGS funds projects which promote gardens and gardening as therapy, launching their annual Gardens and Health Week in 2017 to raise awareness of the topic. Their funding contributes directly towards our work helping individuals and partner charities through horticulture and gardening-related grants and projects. Since April 2017 we have supported more than 15 individuals with mobility grants that allow veterans to access their gardens, and education & training
grants which help veterans secure a career in the horticulture industry. In addition, we have been able to fund nine delivery charities that provide horticultural related support and therapy. One such charity is HighGround, an organisation which provides careers and vocational opportunities for service leavers, reservists and veterans in the landbased sector. We helped fund their
‘Rural Weeks’, which consist of five fully residential days at an agricultural college where participants gain an overview of the land-based sector. We are acutely aware of the benefit horticulture has in helping rebuild the lives of soldiers, veterans and their immediate families and remain very grateful to the NGS for supporting and enabling us to expand this area of our work in 2019.
Leaderships lessons with WO1 Glenn Haughton and our Influencers Network In March of this year, sixty members of our Influencers Network came together at the Cavalry and Guards Club to hear from the UK Armed Forces most senior soldier, WO1 Glenn Haughton OBE. Glenn gave a fascinating insight into leadership and resilience as he reflected on his 30 years in the British Army. After joining the Grenadier Guards in 1988, he rose through the ranks to become the inaugural Army Sergeant Major and is now the first Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chiefs of Staff Committee.
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Bringing together ex-military and civilian professionals, the Network is an opportunity for guests to meet peers, share leadership skills and learn more about how companies can positively impact soldiers, veterans and their immediate families. Our thanks go to Glenn and all those who came along.
To find out more about our next Influencers Network event please email:
partnerships@ soldierscharity.org.
Issue 19 | June 2019
Raising a toast to Tommy with Wadworth We are delighted to announce our partnership with Wadworth, the Devizes-based independent family brewer and pub operator, who have brewed a pale ale specially to support ABF The Soldiers’ Charity. Named Tommy - a nickname for a British soldier used for many years but particularly associated with WWI - the ale is crisp and fresh with malt led flavours and character. Available in 500ml bottles, for every pint and bottle sold, 5p will be donated towards our work supporting soldiers, veterans and their families in times of need. The history of Wadworth from 1875 to the present day is quite a journey: from being one of the first suppliers to the Army Canteen Board (later re-named the NAAFI) after the outbreak of World War I; to operating
during the rationing of World War II. Tommy will celebrate the shared history of our two organisations and marks 75 years since our establishment in 1944 to care for the returning soldiers who fought in the Second World War and their immediate families. Chris Welham, CEO at Wadworth, said, “We are proud to be supporting The Soldiers’ Charity during their 75th anniversary year and to see that, to this day, they continue to ensure that all soldiers, veterans and their families are afforded the independence and dignity they deserve. We hope that Tommy will raise a fantastic amount of money for a cause that is close to our hearts”.
To find out more about Wadworth and Tommy Pale Ale, please visit:
wadworth.co.uk
Raising the dough with Papa John’s From November 2018 until January 2019, we were delighted to partner with Papa John’s UK. Throughout this time, customers were invited to round up their purchases both online and in store in aid of our charity. The partnership was spearheaded by Nigel Gwilliam, a Papa John’s employee and former Army Reservist who nominated our charity to benefit from the scheme. As well as funds raised at the point of purchase, the Papa John’s UK Head Office held fundraising events such as a silent auction including a Louis Vuitton scarf and an Open Kitchen event. In total, the partnership raised more than £10,000. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Nigel and all at Papa John’s for their support.
To find out more about partnership opportunities with The Soldiers’ Charity, please email partnerships@soldierscharity.org or call 0207 811 3963
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FrontLine | The D-Day Issue
NATIONAL EVENTS Record-breaking year for The Lord Mayor’s Big Curry Lunch We were honoured to welcome HRH The Duke of Sussex to Guildhall for the largest ever Lord Mayor’s Big Curry Lunch. His Royal Highness met with soldiers and veterans including Sergeant Mark Stevens, formerly of 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, who was supported by The Soldiers’ Charity and Barclays AFTER Programme and is now a qualified Freelance Outdoor Instructor with his own adventure training business. This year’s Lunch saw it surpass £2m raised for ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity and the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund since 2008. Amongst other things, the money raised will allow us to support King Edward VII’s Hospital’s Centre for Veterans’ Health which has
developed and tested a six-month Pain Management Programme specifically for veterans. A wonderful day was had by all and we are incredibly grateful to all of our guests, sponsors and supporters who helped to make this year’s Lunch such a success.
Rifle Run goes from strength to strength Rifle Run, the world’s longest 10k, by ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, attracted 119 participants to EJ Churchill Shooting Ground in High Wycombe in April, all to take on the gruelling challenge based on the military exercise ‘March and Shoot’. Competing against the clock, Rifle Run saw the participants run
10km across the grounds of the stunning West Wycombe Estate, stopping every 3km to take on a shooting trial (air rifle and shotgun). Faced with a 250m penalty lap for each shot they missed, the participants strived to hit all the targets and avoid a potential 5km extra total distance.
The atmosphere was electric around the event hub from start to finish. The competition was high, with a combination of civilian and military groups all taking on the challenging route. The overall winner of Rifle Run 2019 was Darren Hestleton from Gwynedd, scoring an impressive 18 out of 20 and completing the course in just 53 minutes.
Registration is now open for our next Rifle Run event which is taking place on 3rd November 2019. For details and to sign up now visit soldierscharity.org/riflerun 24
SIGN UP FOR OUR LATEST VIRTUAL EVENT SET IN WWII. BEGINS JULY 1ST 2019. 50 MILES. 10 CODES TO CRACK. 1 EPIC ADVENTURE. YOU HAVE 30 DAYS TO COMPLETE THE MISSION.
SUPPORTING
MESSAGE STARTS : It’s 1941 and the United Kingdom is in terrible danger. Luftwaffe bombs are raining down on towns and cities across the nation. The Royal Air Force guards the skies and the Navy protects the seas, but the threat of invasion has never been higher. German spies could destroy our telephone network at any moment, so the Home Guard is tightening up security around the capital.
HOW IT WORKS:
Your mission is to help us secure a new line of communication from Bletchley Park to the Cabinet War Rooms in London. We need you to walk the 50-mile route, making contact with key agents to solve puzzles along the way. Can you figure out the code and deliver the message before it’s too late? : MESSAGE ENDS
2 Receive updates and codes to crack every 5-7 miles.
To find out more, visit soldierscharity.org/operationbletchley
Operation Bletchley is a virtual event that you can take part in anywhere in the world. Here’s how it works... 1 Link your fitness tracker to your fundraising page and start walking at your own pace.
3 Solve the codes to decipher the hidden message. 4 Complete the 50-mile journey and deliver the message to Winston Churchill within 30 days.
FrontLine | The D-Day Issue
REVISITED: JOSEPH CONNOR Last December, we met Joseph Connor, a sprightly World War Two veteran from Glasgow. Now in his nineties, Joseph shared with us his memories of serving in the Normandy Campaign in the months after D-Day. When did you join up? I was 18 in August of 1942 and I was called up on 7th January 1943. I went up to Perth to the Black Watch barracks for six weeks of training. Then from there, they sent us to Felton where the reconnaissance was based. How did you prepare for landing in France? We used to do a lot of night travel. I spent three months waterproofing my vehicle and I took it up to Scarborough to test it out. Then we went from there to Angmering and then on to the East India Dock and loaded up to go to France. We couldn’t get landed because there wasn’t enough ground
Universal carriers and infantry of 15th (Scottish) Division move forward during Operation ‘Bluecoat’, the offensive south-east of Caumont, 30 July 1944.
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gained for us. So we travelled up and down the channel for a couple of days until we got the call to go in.
outside it. We could see this hole was punctured, as if somebody had drilled it.
What happened after you landed?
What was your role? I was a driver with the 15th (Scottish) Reconnaissance Regiment, and our job was to go forward and try to find where the enemy were. We would fire on them hoping we would get a return fire, from which we could pinpoint their position. We would radio back and they would send in the Typhoons or other heavy equipment, sometimes artillery. That noise frightened us, just going over the top of us. It was like a steam engine screaming through the air. Terrifying.
I remember we went up onto the road. There was a German body lying on the ground and everyone was driving over it to get into the field. We were there ten minutes and we heard this ‘Moaning Minnie’, they called it - it was a six or seven-barrel mortar the Germans fired and it landed in the middle of the field. That was the first time we came under fire. The next day we moved on and we saw this tank at the side of the road, with just legs sitting
Issue 19 | June 2019
Clockwise: Joseph Connor, pictured outside his new driveway; Joseph, left, pictured with comrades and ‘Recce’ the dog, 1944.
What vehicle were you driving? The vehicle that I travelled in was a Humber light armoured car. The backup behind us was three heavies. We were slightly protected, being in the car. I think only about two occasions we fired the gun because the second time we did it jammed!
What was your first experience of combat? The first battle was the Battle of Caumont, and we were on the reverse side of the hill. We were doing left-flank liaison for 43rd Wessex. I had the officer in the car with me, Captain Fordyce. My car wouldn’t start, so he jumped out of my car and into another. The Wessex hadn’t got as far as us so we got into enemy territory, and I think they went over a mine. The driver was killed and the officer was shot in the buttocks.
What happened next? So we travelled on, I was in the first car every time with two heavies in the back. And there was one village we’d freed, with just one long line of buildings. We saw this white flag getting waved at the very end of the building, and this wee guy came out, a wee German
corporal, and he had the Red Cross sign on his arm. I got out of the car and I went and spoke to him. There were people down in the cellar, so I went down and there was about half a dozen or more German soldiers injured there.
What happened after that? Later on, the people came out and said: “You stay here tonight. We’ll give you a meal.” There were other people there, in this big room in the middle, and on the table, the smell of the roast beef was beautiful. They were bringing it out with all this stuff – bottles of wine on the table. I said: “I thought you were starving!” And they said, “It’s horse!” It was lovely, I enjoyed it. There must have been some good but some tough times. The fear left you because that was it. You’re committed. That was it. If it happened, it happened.
How were you wounded? Three of us were on guard in a schoolhouse. The gun was on my shoulder and it slipped off and hit the ground. I put out my hand to catch it and the bullet went right in my hand, right
up my arm, smashed two ribs, nipped through a lung and lodged in the side at the back. I was given a sugary drink and told not to breathe heavy. I didn’t feel any pain.
What happened after you were medically discharged? I found it very difficult to get a job because I was not the same as I was before. We struggled for quite a bit. I got a job, but I could only do light work and that was driving. But we got on alright and we were quite happy.
ABF The Soldiers’ Charity supported you in 2017 with a grant for a new driveway. What difference has that made? The Soldiers’ Charity actually saved my life, because until then I’d had to park on the other side of the road. During the winter, it was really treacherous because I have very severe arthritis in both knees. Now, thanks to the support from the charity, I can drive right to my door. I appreciate the fact that I left the Army over 70 years ago and still I get help from The Soldiers’ Charity as if it was yesterday. I really appreciate that.
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FrontLine | The D-Day Issue
2019 PHOTO COMPETITION Top twelve entries announced! Now votes are in, we are thrilled to announce the shortlist for this year’s Photo Competition. Each year, hundreds of entries are submitted, capturing all aspects of life in the British Army. The top twelve images will feature in our 2020 calendar, with 1st place securing the front cover. Sold in support of soldiers, veterans and their immediate
families, the calendar will soon be available to pre-order from our online shop. The lucky winner will be chosen by our celebrity judges Dan Snow, Sandy Hennis, Dame Kelly Holmes, Gyles Brandreth, Sara Cox, Simon McCoy and Army Sergeant Major Gavin Paton. Congratulations to our shortlist and best of luck!
‘Brew of brothers’ by Adam Wakefield
‘Returning to the guns’ by Crispin Mould
‘For Britain!’ by Adam Blackmore-Heal
‘The greatest of these achievements…’ by Bev Docherty
‘Top trench’ by Liam Swan
‘Watching & waiting’ by John Baxendale
‘Festive ramble’ by Murray Kerr
‘A flight towards peace’ by Charlotte Bratby
‘Firefighting’ by Thor Elsson
‘Jungle duties’ by Karen Davies
‘Play on!’ by Peter Rhys Williams
‘Playing at WW1’ by Darren Gore
Our online shop is packed full of gifts, clothing and accessories to suit all ages. We are offering FrontLine readers an exclusive 15% off across the store. Simply enter the code FRONTLINE19 at the checkout to claim. www.soldierscharityshop.org 28
Issue 19 | June 2019
THANK YOU Over the last six months, we have said thank you and goodbye to a number of our longest serving Regional Directors, Colonel (Ret’d) Simon Lane from the Home Counties, Lieutenant Colonel (Ret’d) Richard Miller from the South West and Colonel (Ret’d) Mark Rayner from the South East. At the same time, we have welcomed new Regional Directors for the South West and the newly restructured South East Region. From the National Office, we have bade fond farewells to Anna Clarke from the Events team, Tom Cuff-Burnett our National Marketing Manager, Fiona Points from the Direct Marketing team and Paul Mantell from the Database team. We are most grateful to all of them for their immense hard work and contributions, and wish them well in their next roles.
Our sincere thanks to Major (Ret’d) Graeme Hall MBE who stands down as Chairman of the North East Committee after six years in the Chair; he aims to remain an active member of the committee. We also thank Bryan Johnston, who stood down as Chairman of our Essex Committee (formerly North Essex and Colchester Garrison) in January 2019, after three years in the role. We are delighted that Bryan has agreed to stay on as a member of the committee. We have also welcomed a number of new arrivals across the charity, reinforcing our Head Office teams in Direct Marketing, Communications, Partnerships and Events.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY EAST ANGLIA
NORTH EAST
SOUTH WEST
21 Jul
07 Sep
24-25 Sep Early Early Christmas Fair, Tidworth 14 Nov Michaelmas Fair at Powderham Castle, Exeter, Devon 20 Dec Salisbury Cathedral Concert, Salisbury
10 Sep 19 Oct
75th Anniversary Concert, Woodbridge, Suffolk 75th Anniversary Concert, Thursford, Norfolk 75th Anniversary Concert, Chelmsford, Essex
EAST MIDLANDS 6 Jul
Buxton Military Tattoo, Buxton 30 Aug Chatsworth Reception, Chatsworth House, Derbyshire 13 -15 Sep The Soldiers Festival, Catton Park Farm, Nr Burton on Trent, Derbyshire 25 Oct Lincoln Cathedral Band Concert, Lincoln
SOUTH EAST 07 Sep
Spinnaker Tower Abseil, Portsmouth
LONDON 18 Sep 10 Dec
Support Our Soldiers’ Day Army Carol Service, Royal Hospital Chelsea, London
Gala Dinner Night, Driffield Showground, East Yorkshire 08 Sep Great North Run, Newcastle, Gateshead, South Shields 09 Nov Festival of Remembrance, Durham Cathedral, Durham
NORTH WEST 12 Sep 12 Oct
Born Survivor, Lowther Castle, Cumbria Altcar 10K
SCOTLAND 17 Aug
Race the Runway, MOD Leuchars Station, Fife 28-29 Nov Glasgow St Andrew’s Night Curry, City Chambers, Glasgow 05 Dec Christmas Carols, Canongate Kirk, Edinburgh
WALES 9-14 Sep Mount Toubkal Trek Challenge, Morocco 06 Oct Cardiff Half Marathon, Cardiff
WEST MIDLANDS 05-11 Aug Wheels on the Western Front, France & Belgium 14 Sep Reception and Beating Retreat, Hartleby Castle, Worcester 13 Oct Hope Valley Run, Woolhope, Hereford
OUR OFFICES Head Office ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, Mountbarrow House, 12 Elizabeth Street, London SW1W 9RB T. 020 7901 8900 E. supportercare @ soldierscharity.org
Scotland ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, The Castle, Edinburgh EH1 2YT T. 0131 310 5132 E. scotland@ soldierscharity.org
North West ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, Fulwood Barracks, Preston PR2 8AA T. 01772 260 356 E. northwest@ soldierscharity.org
Northern Ireland ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, Building 115, Thiepval Barracks, Lisburn BT28 3NP T. 02892 678 112 E. ni@ soldierscharity.org
West Midlands ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, Building V5, Venning Barracks, Donnington, Telford, Shropshire TF2 8JT T. 01952 674 369 E. westmidlands@ soldierscharity.org
Wales ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, Maindy Barracks, Whitchurch Road, Cardiff CF14 3YE T. 02920 726 132 E. wales@ soldierscharity.org
South West ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, Bldg 750, Picton Barracks, Bulford Camp, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP4 9NY T. 01980 672 337 (Bulford) T. 01392 496412 (Exeter) E. southwest @ soldierscharity.org
North East ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, Hipswell Lodge, Smuts Road, Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire DL9 3AX T. 01748 874 127 E. northeast@ soldierscharity.org
East Midlands ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, Chetwynd Barracks, Chilwell, Beeston, Nottingham NG9 5HA T. 01159 572 103 E. eastmidlands@ soldierscharity.org
East Anglia ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, Building PO4, Room 6, Merville Barracks, Circular Road South, Colchester, Essex CO2 7UT T. 01206 817 105 E. eastanglia@ soldierscharity.org
London ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, Block 7, Room (G39), Wellington Barracks, London SW1E 6HQ T. 020 3903 6030 E. london@ soldierscharity.org
South East ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, Wellington House, St Omer Barracks, Aldershot, Hampshire GU11 2BG T. 01252 348 270 (Aldershot) T. 01252 348 270 (Chatham) E. southeast@ soldierscharity.org
Working in co-operation with our US counterparts The Soldiers Fund – which supports both US and UK Service Personnel.
ABF The Soldiers’ Charity (“the/our charity”) is an incorporated charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales with Charity No.1146420, and in Scotland with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator with Scottish Charity Register No.SC039189. ABF The Soldiers’ Charity is a company limited by guarantee in England and Wales (07974609) and was incorporated on 2nd March 2012. We would like to keep in touch but we respect your privacy rights. For full details about how and why we collect, use and store your data, visit www.soldierscharity.org/privacy Remember, you can change your mind at any time about how we contact you, or tell us to stop contacting you altogether. Call on: 0207 901 8912; email: supportercare@soldierscharity.org; write to: ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, Mountbarrow House 6-20 Elizabeth Street, London SW1W 9RB; online: www.soldierscharity.org/updatemypreferences
