D-Day 80 The Last Veterans: Richard Brock

Richard Brock, Age 100, East Lancashire Regiment

Interviewed 21 February 2024

A driver who trained for the invasion in Kent and Salisbury Plain, Mr Brock was among soldiers given a pep talk by General Montgomery. 

"We stayed at Sittingbourne for quite a while," he said.

"We did vehicle waterproofing there and we had to test the vehicles out in Herne Bay.

"We were driving a jeep in the sea there ready for Normandy. I mean we didn’t know where we were going then. We did all the training - keeping fit.

"Montgomery, he came down and said ‘gather round lads’ and he told us there would be an eventful future although he didn’t tell us where we were going.

"He said all our preparations would come to fruition."

Mr Brock was designated to drive track vehicles and ended up in France driving Bren Gun Carriers with a gunner at his side.

On D-Day he crossed the Channel on a Liberty boat called the Ocean Vigil on D-Day and landed on Gold Beach.

"There wasn’t a Mulberry Harbour in those days," he added.

"We had to get off the ship down scramble nets into a Tank Landing Craft. The ship we sailed in they scuttled her to make a breakwater.

"We had a metal runway in the water. I was driving a soft vehicle at the time - I think that’s what happened to us but I can’t remember much about it because there were shells coming over.

"Canadians were on our left flank.

"You are confused aren’t you? You’re trying to get away from it, you hit dry land and you think it’s great. Of course the first thing we had to do was dig in because Jerry was sending a lot of air bursts over and they were exploding in the air and the shrapnel comes down.

"And then we had a few skirmishes and eventually we were on Hill 112 just outside Caen and eventually we took it."

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