Ted served in the Royal Signals in the 53rd Welsh Division. He was part of the Normandy campaign and landed on Arromanche on the 25th June before progressing rapidly to Caen. He was in the Signals security division, so his main job was to monitor their own lines as well as the Germans.
The division operated from a truck full of wireless sets and receivers, which was sealed from the outside. In the back, there were two men behind a barrier who deciphered the Morse Code messages that they received. Ted didn’t even meet the two men until VE day due to the need for secrecy, despite living in the truck with them.
Ted’s highlight was the liberation of ‘s-Hertogenbosch in Holland, a place his division became attached to and returned to after the war every few years to celebrate with them. Ted recalls the comical moment when on their way into the city, they encountered groups of Germans trying to surrender to them but had to reply ‘We’re sorry, we haven’t got time.’
Ted’s story reminds us of the incredible secrecy that went into the Normandy campaign, and the tireless work of security divisions to ensure the mission was a success.