D-DAY MEMORIES: MORE than 100 men and women from the Sheep Street area of Devizes served in the armed forces from the beginning of the war in 1939 until the end of national service in 1960.

A good proportion were involved in the D-Day landings of June 1944 and three of them Leslie Percival, Ron Hawkins and Geoffrey Stevens have spoken about their experiences.

Mr Percival was called up in August 1939 and served with the fourth battalion of the Wiltshire Regiment, being put in charge of transport administration.

He said: "In June 1944 we were given orders for overseas duty. The battalion proceeded to Newhaven for embarkation for France. We left England on June 19 and were the first battalion in 43 Division to complete concentration.

"June 29 saw the battalion in the area of Caen and Villiers-Bocage where we encountered very heavy fighting. Positions were now taken up together with the 5th Wilts and 4th SLI. The corn fields and hedges made fighting very difficult.

"The battalion command post suffered a direct hit. Lt Col Luce escaped without injury, but our signal officer died of his wounds. The battalion was next engaged in Maltot where the fighting was non stop. The divisional commander congratulated the battalion on their excellent performance.

"After Maltot, the battalion had six days in the rest area. As it was my responsibility to ensure that petrol reached the battalion vehicles, I had a three-ton Bedford lorry, my driver being John Allen who came from Bristol.

"The vehicle was loaded with four-and-a-half-gallon jerrycans which had to be transported from different fuel points at the rear. The distances we had to travel became wider and wider as the front line progressed.

"We were now doing 14 hours daily to keep up with the battalion, very often having to find our own way and sometimes being on the edge of the enemy lines.

"When the Germans broke through the Falaise gap, we were less than half a mile from them. We never moved so fast in all our lives!

"Reading this, one may think we had an easy job, but this was far from the truth. When we arrived with the petrol for the battalion vehicles, it was our job to see that the vehicles were filled and the empty cans re-loaded for further supplies.

"During this process, shells and mortar fire from the enemy was nearly always in progress. One of the most harrowing jobs was taking petrol to the ammunition trucks which were always parked well away from the troops.

"Very often these trucks were parked in the centre of fields which were bordered by hedges. We knew that if the ammunition truck was hit we would be blown to pieces. However, we did survive.

"August 1944 saw very fierce fighting for the capture of Mount Pincon which was taken after several days with many casualties. After this we were given a short break when we were able to have baths and the pleasure of watching an ENSA show. During that time the battalion was visited by the Corps Commander who congratulated the battalion on excellent work capturing Mount Pincon.

Late August saw us moving on to Vernon on the River Seine and also to Giverny where the battalion was given a well-earned rest.

"The longest break we got was when our vehicle broke down with a damaged engine. This happened in Belgium. We managed to get the vehicle off the road and after two days we managed to contact our REME detachment who said they would not be able to replace the damaged parts for four days.

"On the second day, a civilian lady living in a house nearby asked us in for a meal, after which we were given a room and bed in the house. This was like being on holiday as they could not do enough for us. After four days our vehicle was once again roadworthy and we were on our way back to the battalion."

Mr Hawkins' job, having landed in Normandy in June 1944, was recovering broken down and damaged vehicles. His first experience was after the battle for Caen.

Mr Stevens also landed in Normandy in June 1944 and fought his way through Europe until ending in Bremen, Germany in May 1945.

He said: "The price for victory and peace in Europe was very high and among the many Wiltshire casualties were two old Sheep Street soldiers, Stan Wiltshire and Fred Rawlings, who were killed in early August 1944.

"I received shrapnel wounds and was air-lifted back to Britain for treatment before returning to the fourth battalion and the front line.

"Everyone welcomed the end of hostilities and VE Day. To return to Old Sheep Street again as a civilian in June 1946 was indeed a joyful day, but there remained so many sad memories, and I will always remember with gratitude and pride the brave men who suffered and died to make this peace possible."

See this week's 4 page 60th Anniversary of D-Day special in the Gazette & Herald