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hs a he THR S 10 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, June 5, 1984 Veterans share some of their D-Day experiences On Wednesday June 6, Jack Lee and Len Haigh will probably get together with their buddies at the Port Perry Legion Hall. They'll swap a few stories, have a drink or two, and generally enjoy the good fellow- ship in familiar surroundings. But at least once on this June 6, 1984, the thoughts of Jack, Len and others like them will travel back in time to a June 6 40 years ago when as young men they were part of the largest ever invasion by sea. D-Day. The Norman- dy Invasion. June 6, 1944. This year marks the 40th anniversary of that eventful day in history when soldiers, sailors and flyers from Canada, United States and Britain stormed the coast of France to begin the long, painful liber- ation of western Europe * which had suffered under the Nazis for almost five years. Len Haigh was a young man of 23 on that ~ June day in 1944 when he went ashore at Juno Beach just after (first light, a gunner with 43rd Battery, 12th Regiment, 3rd Division, supporting the Winnipeg Rifles. Jack Lee was still in his teens and served as an electrician in the Royal Navy aboard the Northern Sun which escorted a convoy of LST's across the Channel to the French ~oastline. Neither Jack or Len have any plans to return to Normandy this June to take part in the official ceremonies there marking the 40th anniversary of D-Day. Jack has never been back to Normandy since 1944, and Len returned 15 years ago to attend the 25th anniversary ceremonies "I don't really like looking to see who's in the cemetery, | know who's there', Len said last week as he and Jack recounted some of their D-Day experiences in-an interview with the Star. Instead, they'll take part in a wreath laying ceremony at Port Perry's Branch 419 at 1:00 PM. and then watch some of the Hollywood film "The Longest Day", which will be screened at the Legion Hall. Both men say their most vivid overall ie collection of June 6, 1944 is the magnitude of the invasion: the sheer numbers of ships, planes, equipment and men who took part "It was incredible, you'll never see any- thing like it again", said Len, who added that in the heat of battle that morning, the last thing on his mind was a sense of history in the making. But the history books of today tell us that there were literally thousands of ships of all sizes, wave after wave of planes, men, supplies, tanks, equip- ment of all kinds. The American beaches were Omaha and Utah, the British beaches Gold and Sword; and in between the British was the Canadian beach called Juno. The books tell us that on June 6, the Canadian forces suffered about 1000 casualties, includ- ing just over 300 killed. British and American casualties were higher. For many of the Canad- ians, it was their first real 'experience under fire, the beginning of many battles in France, Belgium, Holland and finally Germany which surrendered almost 11 months to the day after the invasion at Nor- mandy. Both Jack and Len recalled the "false alarm' on the night of : June 4, when the invasion was set to get underway and then abruptly cancelled by the military command for another 24 hours. The Northern Star had actually picked up its convoy of LST"s in the channel and then with the cancellation, had to turn back to port. The same thing happ- ened to Len, who was aboard one of those LST's (landing ships tanks) which carried five tanks and about 30 men. But just after dusk on the night of June 5, they left again, and this time it was the real thing. "Behind us as far as we could see, there was nothing but boats, and when we looked up, we saw the waves of planes going over, a lot of them flashing the V for vict- a ory signals," said Len. And what was he thinking about as the LST crossed the 100 miles of English Channel that night? He says Dieppe cross- ed his mind a couple of times, a reference to the ill-fated strike in 1942 which turned into a bloody fiasco for Canad- ian forces, but also taught the Allied command a lot about the main invasion of Europe that was to follow two years later. And Len says they were thinking about how to stay dry. The seas were heavy that night and the surf crashed over the top of the open LST. Some played cards under the canvas trying to stay dry and warm. Just after dawn, the landing door on the LST .went down and the tanks and men (including Len) rolled quickly onto the beach. He says he scarcely had time to look around and he was in no mood to admire the scenery, but one of the first things he saw in France was the crash of a flaming Spitfire. Slowly, after almost two hours under heavy fire, they were able to move off the beach and begin to make their way inland. "Our orders were simple; get ashore and as far inland as possible, and get on with fighting the war', re- calls Len. By the end of that first day, they were about eight miles off the beach. Jack's ship stayed off-shore providing support for the forces going in and it was not until late that afternoon that he got his first real look at the coastline. For the next 21 days straight, the Northern REKKER PHOTOGRAPHY 220 Cochrane St. - Port Perry 5 Year Annual Interest MEMBER CANADA DEPUS - Candid Weddings - PHONE 985-7086 33/3 NSURANCE (CRP COMMUNITY TRUST COMPANY LTD. "DON FORDER INSURANCE BROKERS LTD. 30 WATER T.. POR HANGE WITH T PERRY 985-8471 Star swept up and down the coast about three miles out, patrolling against German sub- marines. While both Jack and Len talked freely of their experiences that day, they said they like to recall the good times, the funny things that happened (yes, even in the heat of battle with death and destruction all around, there were some funny instances that helped to keep them going). And they said there are some things that are better left un-said, the memories obviously still sharply in focus 40 years later. The history books tell us that the battle was a tough one and the Ger- man foe fought stub- bornly. The books also tell us a grim side of war that in the ten days after D-Day as many as 134 Canadians were murd- ered in cold blood after being captured by a Nazi SS unit. There are reports of "no quarter given" by either side from late June on. Len recalls that the heavy fighting lasted all day and into the first night, and he got very little sleep during his first 24 hours in France. "Our crew slept in shifts. We had to,"' he said. D-Day was an event of major historical signifi- cance in the course of World War 2 and it has been called the beginn- ing of the end for Nazi Germany as the West- ern Allies began their sweep across Europe. Len and Jack no doubt this June 6 will remem- ber that they had a part in this, along with thousands of others like them. Len recalls with a DOWSON'S COMPLETE AUTO CLEAN-UP Fast & Efficient Complete Interior & Exterior Clean-up Plus Pin Striping 985-7832 RK -- FOR APPOINTMENT ... CALL AFTER 4:00 P.M. Len Haigh was barely into his 20's when he hit the Juno Beach with the Canadian Army, June 6, 1944. He went back to Normandy June 6 marks 40th -- anniversary of famous battle 15 years ago. Ey Jack Lee as he looked in 1944, as a 19 year old sailor in the Royal Navy, and how he looks today. chuckle what his impressions were 15 years ago when he went back to Normandy. '"'Everything had changed, the beach was covered with girls in bathing suits, and they sure as heck weren't there in 1944", he said with a smile, shaking his head at the thought. SX] 985-3814 Questions about Hair Removal? Permanent $8 FOR FREE CONSULTATION CALL: LORI"S ELECTROLYSIS 227 QUEEN STREET - PORT PERRY 985-9111 . M& lI R : | AUTOMOTIVE MACHINE SHOP H) Head Rebuilding - Engines Rebuilt - Rotor & Drum Turning - Flywheel Resurfacing (flat & recessed) - Engine Boring and | 'ead Resurfacing - 985-9345 Port Perry MERV PUGH Ge Hearing c Aid Centre ¢f Port Perry Dennss J. Hogan ann Hearing Aid Consultant Or. E. Mannen's Office - 24 Water St. S., Lakeview Plaza, Port Perry, Ontario LOB 1NO. 985-9192 985-3003 FRANK'S RESTAURANT "ELEANOR "Secs WHITE & COUNTRY PLUS" Fri., June 8th Sat., June 9th from9p.m.to lam. 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