John vividly remembers the date 1 April 1943 because it was when, the age of 17, he volunteered for the Army.  After training he was sent south in June 1944 where he was put on 24-hour standby, as rumours were rife of an impeding invasion fleet heading for France.

His fleet waited on full alert for calm in order to go abroad in their landing boats. The calm sea never came and they were forced to sail in treacherous conditions. After much seasickness and a narrow escape after running into another landing barge, they arrived on D Day+1 Ouistreham, Normandy.
 

In July 1944, John transferred to The King’s Own Scottish Borderers 1st Battalion. The Battalion was caught up in the heavy bombing of Caen and the consequent fighting. John recalls how at this point, witnessing the truly horrific nature of war, he was forced to make the transition from boy to man very quickly.
 

In mid July 1944 John was walking along a railway line with his unit when his second leader, who was one of his closest friends, was shot through the head by a sniper. All of the men hit the ground and suddenly there was an almighty explosion. At first, John was unsure what was happening; he was in fact carrying a grenade in one hand and a spare Bren gum magazine on the other and the German bullets had hit his spare ammunition. John suffered severe wounds to his legs and arms, but was able to struggle to a nearby field, where he found his comrades. They were surprised to see him as they thought for sure he had been killed.

John was taken to a First Aid Field Unit and then flown back to England for treatment. Shortly after, in the winter of 1944 he returned to his Battalion (which had moved to Holland) where he was wounded again. John went on to serve in the Middle East and was demobbed in 1947.

 

We have been here for John since the day he joined up and we will be for the rest of his life. For over 100 years we have supported the Armed Forces and their families with affordable accommodation and welfare breaks. We are the Victory Services Club; the all ranks, tri-service, family friendly London based Club.

We are a charity that offers membership to the military community for the rest of their lives, free membership to those who currently serve and rooms in the heart of London's West End.