Sandy Handley’s story:
“As the time drew near to the end of May ’44 our camp was sealed off, no one was allowed out or in. That was about 10 days before we were to go. We were detailed to post our personal items home, like anything we wouldn’t need - letters and so forth. I can’t recall whether I sent much home at all. I remember my Mother saying after the war that she got upset at seeing this small bundle, mainly rubbish, I’d sent home to Dover. (From Ex Trooper S Handley’s ‘61 Recce - Memories of Normandy 1944 – 1945’ unpublished, pers comm.)
Corporal Eric Postles explains:
“Those men and vehicles not on the assault moved back to the Aldershot area.
Lt Soul, Sergeant Griffiths and myself (by now a corporal) commanded the 10 Troop carriers. Just before leaving camp we loaded ammunition, filled Bren gun magazines, primed hand grenades, phosphorous grenades and Piat shells. Anti-tank mines were primed with detonators and 2 inch mortar bombs went into leather panniers that clipped onto rails in the carrier. In addition we had a spare section of track, a spare bogie wheel, jerry cans of petrol and water, first aid kit, cooker, thermos flasks, a coil of barbed wire, mine detector and Number 18 wireless set installed in the Troop Leader’s carrier. A Number 38 set was in Sgt Griffiths carrier. We had a camouflage net and tarpaulin. We were issued with 24 hour ration packs, mostly dehydrated food, a flat tin of emergency chocolate and survival pack which fitted in the inside pocket in our blouse. It contained water purifying kit, high protein sweets and amphetamine tablets to keep you awake.
General acceptance was that the division would suffer heavy casualties. There was a lot of discussion about what conditions would be like as some of the troop had been at Dunkirk. Some copied the Americans and shaved their heads in case of lice.” (Extracts from ‘My War Years’ by John Eric Postles ISO used by kind permission of the author.)
Dick moved to the Aldershot area
with the half of the Regiment not participating in D Day.
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