A true story as told by Dorothy Ramser, daughter of Sgt M. I. Dickson about three British gunners during The Battle for Veghel also known as ‘Operation Market Garden’.
In a series of 7 articles.
Some more background:
86th Hertfordshire Yeomanry Field Regt R.A. equipped with Sexton 25pdr Self Propelled Guns, served in NW Europe from D-Day 6th June 1944, commencing at first light with the ‘Run-In-Shoot’ firing from the sea on LCT’s during Operation Neptune which involved firing on selected targets on the enemy coastline – then landing during the Assault Phase on Gold Beach.
There followed the Battles of Normandy, the Falaise Gap, Crossing the Seine, the Liberation of Northern France, then Belgium and the Liberation of Antwerp. Then from the 17th of September 1944 Holland and Operation Market Garden, Nijmegen, the Battle of Geilenkirchen, the Battle of the Ardennes, the Battle of the Reichswald Forest, the Crossing of the Rhine, the Battle of Bremen, the liberation of camps, then finally reaching Cuxhaven and the news of the unconditional surrender heralding the end of hostilities, firstly on the 4th May with Montgomery accepting the surrender, then officially on the 8th May 1945.
The regiment then moved to the British sector in Germany, near Verden, to take up duties of an occupation force and to deal with displaced people (notably the Camp at Winsen an der Aller housing survivors of Bergen-Belsen) until the regiment was disbanded in the autumn of 1945.
Before Japan surrendered the Regiment was told they would fly to America, receive new Self Propelled Guns and would participate in the invasion of Japan.
In the picture: Joe Cattini 91-years-old and Denys Hunter 90-years-old on the 6th June 2014 – Copyright Frances Bradshaw.
See continuation of story on www.Eindhoven News.nl
