Mne Joseph Storer

46RM Commando. CH/X 103699. Photos courtesy of his daughter Kim Church, and Kim's son in law Barry Marson. Kim adds "My Dad came from a small town called Bulwell in Nottinghamshire. He was the second of seven children, two boys and five girls. After leaving school he got a job as a stonecutter in a local quarry. Although it was tough and sometimes physically exhausting it stood him in good stead later for his time as a Royal Marine and later as a Commando. As A Royal Marine he was assigned with many other of his comrades to man the HMS Warspite. At that time this ship was being repaired in America. Dad spoke fondly of his time as a Royal Marine on HMS Warspite and he said he saw a lot of the world and crossed The Line (the Equator). He told us of the time on board that he got drunk without actually having a drink - a barrel of the rum ration split and started leaking so two Marines, Dad was one, were detailed to guard it whilst a new barrel was being made. They were locked in the room with it and got drunk on the fumes! Whilst out on their final exercise at Achnacarry living in the wilds for 48 hours they had got lost and had overstayed the allotted time for this exercise. Whether this was intentional Dad never explained, but he grinned when he said “We had 3 butchers and a poacher with us so it didn't really bother us”. But it did bother the powers that be. When some 2.5 ton trucks rolled up one of the drivers stepped out and said "We've been looking for you lot for days, get in it's started".What's started?" Asked Joe. "The invasion has, you boys are off to join it" They were told to abandoned the exercise and were issued with their green berets without the usual ceremony and rushed back to the Isle of Wight to join up with the main unit of the 46 RMC that was already preparing themselves for a coastal battery assault programmed for D-Day+1.

His holding section was later sent out to Normandy on the 15th of June and there joined up with the main unit. They helped to reinforce the already depleted ranks. Dad remembers well crossing over the famous Pegasus Bridge to meet up with his new comrades in X Troop.On the 13th April 1945 Joe was wounded at the battle of the Aller in the village of Hademstorf. Due to the wound and subsequent loss of his foot he was invalided out of the unit."