On D-Day I was a 17-year old Royal Marine, serving in Y turret of the light cruiser HMS Diadem. When my gun failed to recoil, I had the job of heaving the dud charge over the side. Out there, alone, I was overwhelmed by the feeling of being ridiculously exposed to danger.
I was a lieutenant in the Royal Marines commanding an LCA flotilla on D-Day. My contribution concerns the sinking of our infantry landing ship, the Empire Broadsword, in July 1944.
I joined the Royal Marines in 1943 and on D-Day manned LCM 1162 taking Canadian engineers to JUNO Beach. I was worried about getting shot and laying down somewhere in agony. I remember thinking if I was going to die, I wanted to die quickly.