D-Day Landing Part 2

The smell of cordite was very, very powerful and you know I, I was in the carrier and I had to be in the carrier because I was attached to the radio set where I was reporting back to the CO. And also I was reporting back to the 6th Hussars who landed with us in Sherman tanks. So, you know, the other people are listening to you and I learned very soon to modulate my voice, because I remember, I remember. This is interesting; Cuppers came riding back in his motorcycle and he skidded around and he said, "Are you Ok sir?" And I said, "Yes, Alec I'm fine." He said, "Well, why are you shouting?" I said, "What?" He said, "Why are you shouting?" I was shouting my God damn head off. And he said, "You know," he said, "nobody can hear you, you're shouting too loud. You're, you're making your microphone bounce back again." So I said, "What do I do?" And Alec was a very solid sort of citizen. He died last year but I wrote to him right, right up to the day he died. But he said to me, "Why are you shouting?" and then he said, "Try to speak like that barman we had in Waker's Park." Well we had an old barman in the sergeant's mess in Waker's Park and he had a beautiful modulated voice and he would say "Hello Chadderton, how are you?" And here I was, but I realized that if I didn't modulate my voice get it under control, what the hell good was I gonna be to anybody? But, but it's just a little experience from, from that first twenty minutes along the beach and back again. The other thing was, that I found that I was creating, I was doing something very bad, I was looking for people. Now a friend of mine by the name of Phil Gougher, who lived through the beach, but he was a great friend of mine and I knew he had the toughest job, he had the biggest pill box. If you were ever there, its right on the corner of the Sul River, it's on an angle, it's a huge thing. And he had to take this pill box and first thing I said when I saw one of his corporals, I said "Did Captain Gougher make it?" And he said "I don't know." And then he said to me "What do you want to know for?" A very strange thing to say to me, "What do you want to know for," you see. And I, because you see when you're, everything is, is condensed down to, to seconds and I repeated it, I said "That's right, what do I want to know for?" Because I'm nosey. Because I want to know if he's killed. Because I know his wife. And then I said it's better that I don't know and that's what, that's what Cuppers and these other people were telling me, "Don't look for anybody. Just do your damn job Cliff and you'll be alright."

Mr. Chadderton describes his responsibilities on the beach head during the invasion.

Clifford Chadderton

Clifford Chadderton, CC, O. Ont., OStJ, CLJ, CAE, DCL, LLD Mr. Chadderton was born May 9, 1919, in Fort William, Ontario, and was raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. His mother worked as an accountant. His father, an entrepreneur, was a veteran of the First World War who suffered complications from being gassed at Vimy Ridge. Under the tutelage of his parents Mr. Chadderton was brought up to believe in Canada and the importance of education. He became interested in social events, politics, military history and the process of debate. These interests led Mr. Chadderton to become a news editor for the Canadian Press and a reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press while attending the University of Manitoba. Mr. Chadderton even found time for another interest - playing hockey for the Winnipeg Rangers, the farm team for the New York Rangers. On October 15, 1939, Mr. Chadderton enlisted in the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, climbing the ranks quickly to become a company commander and an acting major by the end of the war. While serving in Europe he was wounded twice, once by a bullet at the Abbaye d'Ardenne in Normandy, and then by a grenade near the Leopold Canal in Belgium on October 10, 1944. There, he lost his right leg below the knee, and his military career came to an end. Mr. Chadderton never let the loss of his leg hinder him. In fact, it has made him a beacon of hope to many, and has given him the opportunity to work for the needs and benefits of Canadian amputees and veterans. He is the Chief Executive Officer of The War Amps, and Chairman of the National Council of Veteran Associations in Canada. A persistent, dedicated and devoted man, Mr. Chadderton is also known nationally and internationally as a documentary producer, creating The War Amps Never Again! series, which illustrates the realities of war. He has also written an inspirational memoir entitled, Excuse Us! Herr Schicklgruber, which is an insight into the personalities, feelings and hopes of the men who fought alongside Mr. Chadderton in the Second World War. Mr. Chadderton continues to challenge the world and enjoy life with no regrets, having made a home for himself in Ottawa, Ontario, and creating a legacy with his wife, two children, and four grandchildren.