Preparing for D-Day (Part 1)

Heroes Remember - D-Day

Preparing for D-Day (Part 1)

Transcript

Well we, on June the 3rd we went up to Southampton and we loaded our troops in Southampton, which was the Regiment des Chaudieres, a French Canadian unit and we loaded them on the 3rd because the invasion was supposed to have been the 5th, which of course was delayed for an extra 24 hours. But once we had loaded our troops then again we were just back at anchor in the Solent, awaiting further instructions. There was some briefing of both the troops and our landing craft crews, insofar as they were supplied with pictures of the particular beach that they were to be, land on, showing land marks and so on, which didn't involve myself but our landing craft crews during this time were briefed and presumably the army fellas as well. But then when it was delayed for 24 hours, of course we didn't know just when it was going to happen and the, there was one thing that was noticeable to me then and I saw it on other occasions, but the Chaudieres were top rate troops and they were very anxious to get ashore. They, of course they, and this is where the difference in training, I mean I felt quite at home and safe on the ship, because that was where I was trained, but the soldiers, always the soldiers were, they were scared when they were on the ship and they couldn't get off it fast enough. So on the other hand there's no way that I would want to go into those landing craft to go where they were going, so it was and of course it's a difference in your training. One person, your, one, people are trained to do one thing and other people are trained to do other things and I presume all the services are the same way.

Description

Mr. Gorsline talks about the time leading-up to D-Day.

John Henry Gorsline

Mr. Gorsline was born on November 12, 1924 in Collingwood, Ontario. He joined the Navy in November of 1942 on his 18th birthday. Mr. Gorsline served aboard the HMCS Prince David as a radar operator and returned to civilian life in September 1945.

Meta Data

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:: 02:08
Person Interviewed:: John Henry Gorsline
War, Conflict or Mission:: Second World War
Location/Theatre:: Atlantic Ocean
Branch:: Navy
Units/Ship:: HMCS Prince David
Occupation:: Radar Operator

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Preparing for D-Day (Part 1)

Heroes Remember - D-Day