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Location
Cherbourg, France
Age
21 Years

10th September 1944

ARRIVED CHERBOURG

At 0700 hours this morning, we branched off from the main convoy to make our way to Cherbourg, where we arrived at 1400 hours. We went alongside at about 1700 hours, so after tea, Hugh and I went up to town. The process of getting alongside was rather ticklish as they were still feared of mines. Only the tugs took us in.

We saw the fort that appeared in a recent news reel. It held out longer than the rest but certainly paid the price for it! It was just a mass of stone and rubble when we saw it. Hugh and I had only just reached the Tocqueville air field when a jeep driven by a Yank, stopped to take us to the main road. He was very obliging. Two more steps down the road and along came a British Army Captain in a jeep, and he took us the few odd miles into Cherbourg! He was a Yorkshireman but had married a girl from Purley!

He said that according to the news, Croydon had had the highest % of flying bombs. Well, Hugh and I wandered around most of the town before sunset which gives some idea of its size. We managed to change some money and signed our names in a book at the Red Cross Club. The only real damage that we were able to see, from bombing raids at least, was at the railway junction, where excellent bombing had scored direct hits on the lines (although of course it has since been repaired). All the bridges were gone. Naturally a number oof homes on either side of the junction were also hit. The buildings on the eastern outskirts are pretty badly battle scarred, and show bullet holes all around their windows where efforts have been made to dislodge snipers.

My first impression was that it could be Bougie or Bone (French N. Africa), because there is practically no difference. Practically all ships are shattered up – houses too – but in any case, it is very doubtful whether the place ever looked anything much in peace time. The people don’t seem to be over friendly – just indifferent. Only one woman showed real enthusiasm, and that was in a little shop in Tocqueville. There are cinema shows on in town, “Take Manhattan”,  “Destination Tokyo” and “Here comes Mr Jordan”.

There are many Americans, naturally, but some Tommies too. They seem to be much more friendly towards each other than they did in England.