230915 Pte. John Walter Gardner British Army 9th Btn. Cameronians from:Northampton John Gardner (my dad) was very proud to have served with the Cameronians in Normandy.
He spoke very little of the fighting other than the awful waste of life on both sides. I know he took part in the fighting at Hill 112 where he encountered fanatical members of the Hitler Youth, who had tied themselves into trees so they were very difficult to remove.
He mentioned the huge allied artillery barrage and the massive air raid, the biggest in history I believe, that took place before one advance in which he took part.
Although he was very young at the time he never forgot the awful sights that he saw or the smell of death. He was haunted by bad dreams, terrible memories and the sad loss of friends and comrades all his life.
On the lighter side he remembered an RSM, I don't know his name, who was reputedly the tallest soldier in the British Army.
He talked of training exercises that went wrong, night time guard duties where rabbits were scary and and having to whitewash coal for some reason!
He had huge respect for General O'Connor who he thought would have commanded the army in Normandy in Montgomery's place, had he not been captured.
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