Description
Arthur joined the army in 1942 as a wireless operator in the Paras.
Normandy D-Day+1; Arthur landed on Gold Beach at 7.00 pm. The first wave of troops who went on D-Day took the first attack to the Germans, who were waiting for them. Ron left the next morning and got as far as The Needles, Isle of Wight, they were all asked if they wanted to write a will. They then knew they were in for something big.
The first town he took was Bayeux, which was in fact the first town to be liberated on D-Day. Ron went on to Le Havre in August.
Ron met General Montgomery, his Commanding Officer, and he wanted to capture the bridge over the river Rhine in Arnhem, in Operation Market Garden. Ron was ordered to rush up to the bridge. They were told there would be very few Germans, as they were all on the run. He got there and found two Panzer Divisions and 70,000 Germans! The Allies dropped 10,000 Paras and lost 8,000 – they were killed, wounded or captured.
After the war Ron settled down into civilian life and became a baker.
Print taken from the book ‘A TIME TO FIGHT Living and Remembering WWII’
