Music

Acton, acton, and welcome to our Christmas readings, which we're going to be doing for the 12 days of the Christmas period.

And I thought it would be fun to read a selection of writings by the war journalist Anthony Kotrel.

Now, actually Kotrel was actually killed rather tragically off the Battle of Aronom.

He was an official British Army journalist.

So he was writing for kind of British Army publications.

And he had a very kind of sort of vivid style that really took you to the place he was describing with incredible vividness.

I think he was absolutely amazing.

And he was actually captured at Aronom while sort of observing what was going on with the airborne troops there, captured and then later killed during an escape attempt on route to Germany.

So a tragic story really, but the first one I'm going to do is his description of D-Day, which I think is rather fantastic.

A day at the seaside going on shore by Anthony Kotrel.

Breakfast was at 4.25am.

Attention! The second sea sickness pill should be taken now, said the ship's amplifier as the liver and bacon were served.

We were passing up a mine-swept channel marked by red lights, about eight miles off the French coast.

There had been a good deal of flares and flak in the distance, but right now there was nothing.

As that came out on deck, a solitary fighter flew across the ship.

Over the amplifier, the senior naval officers' voice said,

"'Till our phone operators and winchmen will be required in about five minutes' time.'

I went to put on my Christmas tree-like equipment, and transferred as much stuff as possible from my transor pockets to my battle dress blouse.

In the agitated light-headiness of the moment, I decided that the battle dress blouse pockets wouldn't take it all and transfer a good deal back again.

I'd been told that with any luck we should step ashore in water not more than ankle deep.'

The amplifier said,

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