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Personal narrative of Robert Venoy Reed

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  • wcu_ww2-376.jp2
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  • Left camp miles Standish, 16 miles from Providence Rho. 60 miles from Boston Mass, on the morning of April 6th. Arrived in Boston and immediately boarded the ship. Sailed out of Boston Harbor on the 7th at 4pm. Landed in Glasgo Scotland April 16th The scenery was beautiful. We stayed on board boat until April 19th Then boarded train and went to Gold Burn Park Eng. 18 miles from Liver Pool. Stayed at the Park for a month ½. Went Park we were there on D day. Then on the 8th we went to South Hampton Eng to the marsheling area. There we received all the equipment needed. While there we saw many ambulances trans. patients to hosp. in Eng. On June 15th we were alerted to move at 2AM. We moved out June 16th landed on Utah from LCI to Higgens to steel rank. The boats were heavily loaded. There was a solid layer of barrage balloons overhead. Sinking ships and old ship shells could be seen thick in the channel. Many Ducks were busy loading supplies to the beach from the ships. The Beach was littered with ruins from the result of D Day battle. The fighting had ceased along the beach except attacks by flaires The roads were made from mesh wire. There was aid stations still operating along the beach and hosp. ships were being loaded. We had only marches about 100 yards inland when we began to see signs along the road not cleared of mines. Worked most all night June 17th at 2 a.m. St. Mere-Eglise turn to bits. Blood stains on most every thing where the Para Troopers had landed. There was a large field along side where we were that was being used as a cemetary for the 82 air borned troop and other soldiers on line at the time of our arrival. They were bringing in bodies by the truck loads. June 19th mooved to apple orchard. There we got rid of our gas masks and access equipment. June 19th mooved to another orchard. There we talked to boys from front lines 90th division
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Object’s are ‘parent’ level descriptions to ‘children’ items, (e.g. a book with pages).