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TOMLINSON, Percy
British RAF - 5132 C. Mobile Signals
Box 23, #18
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THE ASSAULT LANDINGS IN NORMANDY
D DAY: MIDNIGHT JUNE 5 — MIDNIGHT JUNE 6
Ack 4/6/58
What is your full name? Percy Tomlinson
What is your present address? 33 Dean Road, Rhosnessney Wrexham. N. Wales.
Telephone number: Nil
What was your unit, division, corps? 5132 C. Mobile Signals Unit. [inserted] R.A.F. [end inserted] attached to: U.S. First Army.
Where did you land and at what time? (Omaha Beach.) 10.50 [inserted] A.M. [end inserted] we drew to within 200 yds of beach, landing craft ahead kept being mined heavily, so orders were to withdraw until tide went out. The second attempt to land was around 2.30 PM when we did land, we lost 9 out of 10 vehicles, trough 88 M.M. German shelling.
What was your rank and age on June 6, 1944? W/op. A.C.2. 20 years. Being born 1924.
Were you married at that time? No
What is your wife’s name? Shiela Joan.
Did you nave any children at that time? No
When did you know that you were going to be part of the invasion? Between. 23RD May and 5TH June
What was the trip like during the crossing of the Channel? Do you remember, for example, any conversations you had or how you passed the time? Very rough SEAS: We were on a single deck craft A L.C.T., we could only carry 2 wagons:- a Crosley & a Fordson, both were chained heavy, never before have I witnessed so much strain on steel chains, we were scared of them snapping, if they had done we would have been unable to do a thing about it. Most likely the craft would have turned over, most of us were very ill but not sick; A Canadian C/pl was saying to a few of us when we were 3 mile from the coast: "If it is the real thing ive had it." True enough he was amongst the first to get killed.
Were there any rumours aboard ship? (Some people remember hearing that the Germans had poured gasoline on the water and planned to set it afire when the troops came in.) I do believe there was talk about such a thing if I remember correctly.
Did you by any chance keep a diary of what happened to you that day? I have kept a diary from Mon: March 20TH 1944. to Sun 9TH Nov. But consists of only places were we went through. Nothing at all about 5TH or 6TH June. One does not need a diary for that; But I see by the diary we did sail @ midnight on 5TH June. But returned to Portland, before daybreak
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Were any of your friends killed or wounded either during the landing or during the day? Yes.
Do you remember any conversations you had with them before they became casualties? Only the Canadian CP/L which I have already mentioned about. And a London boy W/op who got hit in the leg he sort of had a premonition about it all 2 weeks previous; then there was paddy the D/R. one of the best, he got hit whilst running for cover, he was always frightened when things such as the bombing whilst we were down south under canvas got very bad, and the shrapnel use to drop on our tents from the Ack! Ack! he always said: "I don't like it at all"
Were you wounded? No.
How were you wounded?
Do you remember what it was like -- that is, do you remember whether you felt any pain or were you so surprised that you felt nothing? —
Do you remember seeing or hearing anything that seems funny now, even though it may not have seemed amusing at the time? Or anything unexpected or out- of-place? Yes! We had only been on the beach a few seconds and we could see all these puffs of sand going up all around us, and a few wagons on fire: You see! We did not know these puffs of sand where 88 M.M. shells because we had never been under actual fire before. Amongst all the firing, shelling from both the navy, and that from inland we could hear the screamers coming from everywhere; another time I was lying flat with two of our C/Pls and one shell burst quite near us, and covered us with everything, one Cp/l said "Get the cards out"
Do you recall any incident, sad or heroic, or simply memorable, that struck you more than anything else? More than anything else I shall always remember our R.A.F. squadron/LDR. Padre. I forget his name. He was outstanding in every way. He was actually coverering most of the beach where we were; attending the dying and wounded and ignored everything the Jerries were sending over. He went to each one who called for him including members of hte U.S. First Army. Never taking cover at all but actually stood upright, I have never forgotten him; on the Sunday following we held our memorial service which he directed
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In times of great crisis, people generally show either great ingenuity or self-reliance; others do incredibly strange or stupid things. Do you remember any examples of either? None that I can recall; except myself; not once did I think of home or anything like that, my mind was blank until two or three days after, it was as though you were ignorant to everything that was happening until it came quite close.
Do you know of anybody else who landed within the 24 hours (midnight 5 June to midnight 6 June) either as infantry, glider or airborne troops, whom we should write to? I knew quite a few but have no idea where they are now.
What do you do now? Plasterer.
Please let us have this questionnaire as soon as possible, so that we can include your experiences in the book. We hope that you will continue your story on separate sheets if we have not left sufficient room. Full acknowledgement will be given in a chapter called "Where They Are Now."
Cornelius Ryan Joan O. Isaacs The Reader's Digest
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Airforce
33 Dean Road Rhosnessney Wrexham North Wales.
14 MAY 1958
A
QS 14/5
Dear Sir, Re your advertisement in the N.O.W. wishing to contact anyone who was in the Normandy landings from midnight June 5th to midnight June 6th. Personally I was myself; but was attached to the American Army; my unit being 5132 C M.S.U. R.A.F. if I can be of any assistance. I shall do my utmost to supply you with a few detailed accounts which may be of quite some interest to you. Yours. P Tomlinson