Fred Millward joined the Army when he was seventeen, he served with the 9th Battalion Parachute regiment and was part of the D-day landings and the Battle of Merville Gun Battery. In his interview he talks us through his training, the year building up to June 1944, and the D-day landings.

Before the day, Fred and his team knew a mission was close after switching to practicing night jumps. Their Commanding Officer briefed them, warning many wouldn’t return. They flew from RAF Broadwell to the French coast, and Fred was blown out of the plane by anti-aircraft fire. Thankfully, he landed safely near the rendezvous point, but sadly, many men died, with only 150 of 700 making it on time for the start of the mission.

The fighting began right away, with many men dying from landmines. Fred described the Merville Gun Battery as being surrounded by barbed wire, cattle fencing, and minefields. They breached the area with Bangalore torpedoes and covered 150 yards to reach the main fortification, which Fred called a miracle. After completing their mission, they were mistakenly bombed by Americans but luckily everyone survived.

After regrouping, they went to Chateau De Saint Come and were ordered to defend it at all costs – no retreat, no surrender. The Chateau overlooked the whole flank of the Allied invasion, critical for winning. They stayed for five days amidst horrific fighting, with Fred describing the terrible smell and conditions.

Fred was sent to Bois De Bavent forest and had a close call. He and his sergeant were helping survivors of a crash when they were mortared by the enemy. Fred’s sergeant died, and Fred was severely injured, losing hearing in one ear. After recovering, he was offered a guard commander position. During the Allied invasion, Fred met his future wife from the Auxiliary Territorial Service, and they married in 1945.