Sargeant Hugh Wren: From D-Day to Victory

Hugh Ronald Wren ran away to war and joined the Royal West Kent Regiment. His Grandma tried to find him and, 18 months later, succeeded. He had an aptitude for guns and became a "spotter" (went ahead and did a recce on the enemy territory). He was supposed to be the first to land on D-day as he needed to carry out his important role. However, his boat engine failed, and his team was adrift in the Channel, so they landed in the dark on 7th June. One of the other boats picked them up and took them on to the beach.

Hugh went up the beach under heavy bombardment and immediately dug a foxhole to defend his position from incoming fire from cruisers on the beach. He was part of the core troops. He said that the most dangerous thing was an Officer with a map, An Officer transported them in a Land Rover and ended up going into enemy fire and had to reverse at top speed. He said that the first thing to do is dig a trench.

He fought the Germans who were using Schmeiser MP38 pistols. The pistols fired 50 rounds a minute with 3 seconds to reload he found he could escape in 3 seconds.

He was in the Battle of Arnhem close to the Falaise Gap in August trying to break through, but SS troops prevented this. He overwintered in Holland and then crossed the Rhine. He met his uncle for 2 hours, Major Ted Goldring, with the 7th Royal Dragoons where he was Quartermaster.

He was then on Scheled, a strategic Dutch island, where the Germans had left troops. The Germans had lost all communications and didn't know about the Armistice. The Germans had no bullets at the end and so made bullets out of wood which splintered and therefore made awful wounds.

Hugh went into the concentration camps only identifiable by the presence of ovens; these camps were dotted everywhere. He also was based in Prisoner of War camps where the German prisoners made wonderful drawings, wooden coasters inlaid with cartridge cases and decorated with food dyes, and architectural drawings (all photographed).