Henley House residents share their memories of D-Day

Several residents of Greensleeves’ Henley House on the outskirts of Ipswich have shared their memories of D-Day, and what it was like to be a child living in a country at war.

Peter Hardy grew up in Brentwood, Essex, not far from Warley Barracks. He was 14 at the time of D-Day.

“It was obvious there was something going on, but we didn’t know what. By the time I had set off for school, they were flying around the sky. There were hundreds of planes flying overhead. It looked like the whole fleet of aircraft was in the sky.

“I remember John Snagge coming on the radio, making the announcement that Allied Forces had landed in France.”

John Snagge OBE was a newsreader and commentator for BBC Radio.

John Snagge OBE was a newsreader and commentator for BBC Radio. (Image: Public domain)

At midday on June 6, 1944, he told the eagerly listening people of Britain: “D-Day has come.

“Early this morning, the Allies began the assault on the northwestern face of Hitler's European Fortress.”

Mr Snagge continued his broadcast: “The Allied Commander in Chief General Eisenhower has issued an order of the day addressed to each individual of the Allied Expeditionary Force.

“In it, he said: ‘Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle hardened. You will fight savagely.

“But this is the year 1944. The tide has turned. The free men of the world are marching together to victory.

“I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory. Good luck, and let us all beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.”

These were rousing words, but Peter said that, by this time, after almost five years at war, people didn’t know whether to be optimistic or not.

“There was nothing to celebrate at the time,” he said. “Lots of troops were killed. It was grim, it was absolutely horrendous.

“We all had that worry – we used to get maps in the papers. Every day, they’d show us, we’ve advanced here, we’ve made some progress there. It was touch and go as to whether we stayed.

“But, we were all in it together. What could our parents do to shield us from it, when the Germans were bombing our shelters every night?”

Peter Hardy said that at the time of D-Day, there was nothing to celebrate. Image: Charlotte Bond (Image: Charlotte Bond)

Brian Rodwell was aged eight in 1944, and living in Belstead Avenue in Ipswich. Meanwhile, his friend, Maria Dilieto was 10 years old and living in Naples. Her native country of Italy fought on the side of the Axis.

“We were terrified. We were absolutely scared stiff,” she said. “When the siren went, you took whatever you could wrapped in a serviette. You never knew how long you’d be down there. You never had biscuits or cake, there were no luxuries.”

“Our parents used to go without, to give us their share,” added Brian.

“Not everyone had an air raid shelter. There was a gate in our fence to our nextdoor neighbour’s garden. We were trained that, when the siren went off, to go through the gate to Mr Denny’s air raid shelter.

“The next day, you would note which desks were empty, which of your friends weren’t there.

“It was the uncertainty of things.”

Brian Rodwell sitting beside his friend, Maria Dilieto. Image: Charlotte Bond (Image: Charlotte Bond)Ted Parkins was 15 at the time of D-Day, and living in Barnet in north London. Image: Charlotte Bond (Image: Charlotte Bond)Ted Parkins pictured as a young man, when he later decided to fight for his country. Image: Charlotte Bond (Image: Charlotte Bond)Ted Parkins and his wife, Else, on their wedding day. Image: Charlotte Bond (Image: Charlotte Bond)

Ted Parkins was 15 and living in Barnet in north London. He explained that his father was too old to fight, but was instead stationed at a Prisoner of War camp in Northampton.

“He had to keep the Germans and the Italians apart – they never got along!” said Ted.

The idea of serving for one’s country appealed to him greatly, and so he signed up to serve as soon as he could, rounding his age up to 18 so that he could be sent overseas, landing in Germany.

“About three years after the war had ended, I was in a local pub. I could hear these girls speaking in German,” he remembered. Having picked up a little of the language, he went over to introduce himself.

One of the girls, Else, took a shine to the young Ted. They exchanged letters, and soon, they had tied the knot. They settled in England to raise their family.