Stoker Sonny Griggs: Memories of D-Day
Born into a fishing family, Sonny Griggs spent his life in and around the sea. After war broke out and once old enough, he became a stoker in the Royal Navy and served aboard LST 199 for four years. He spoke about and wrote down many memories and tales from both his time serving in the Navy and before as a member of the Home Guard. This is a story from D-Day written for him by his wife, Molly.
June 6, 1944: LST 199 was due to land on Juno beach but a gun emplacement on the beach was preventing the landing. A cruiser came up from behind and put a shell right through the hole, effectively stopping the firing and the LST was able to move forward. Unfortunately, due to the extra time involved, after discharging its load of troops and vehicles, the LST was grounded as the tide went out. The captain ordered all the crew ashore to move off into the sand dunes and into the town of Courselles, which was ostensibly in British hands.
"Find a hole and return when the tide is on the turn" were their orders. LST 199 was of course a sitting duck, not being able to move and vulnerable to air attack. Son recalls running off the beach and into the outskirts of the town. They did find a shell hole but didn't go far into town as they could still hear sporadic firing. He remembers seeing women filling bottles with water at a standpipe and he marvelled at their composure while all was going on around them.
Fast forward to 1965, after seeing a sign for Courselles while on a camping trip in Normande, Sonny remembered landing on the beach and decided to see if there was anything he remembered. After parking in town and walking to the sand dunes they rounded a corner and Son stopped short. There stood the damaged gun emplacement.
Sonny and family returned twice more in 1989 and 1999 and it was still there.
