D-Day veteran shares diary extracts from 1944

Douglas Parish said he was "glad" he kept a diary of World War Two

A former D-Day sailor has shared excerpts from his diary, 80 years on from the Normandy landings.

Douglas Parish from Salisbury was an 18-year-old midshipman on 6 June 1944, during a huge military operation to liberate France in WW2.

Eight decades later, Mr Parish, now 98, has described his diary as one of his most prized possessions.

"You couldn't see the sea for ships," he said of the historic day.

'Roar of bombers'

The invasion force, composed of the Royal Navy and navies of other Allied countries, included a colossal 7,000 ships and landing craft, crewed by nearly 200,000 soldiers from eight nations.

Following in his father's footsteps, Mr Parish was a sailor training to be a naval engineering officer at the time of D-Day, and recorded what he saw in his diary.

He was serving on HMS Mauritius, one of the large warships using its guns to destroy German defences along the coast of Normandy.

One of the diary entries for 6 June 1944 reads: “As we approached our position on the eastern flank of the assault, the roar of bombers overhead could be heard distinctly and the flashes of bombs on the beaches were visible.”

Mr Parish said he had wanted to be a naval engineering officer since he was 10

Speaking of that fateful day, Mr Parish said: "I've never seen anything like it in my life.

"You couldn't see the sea for ships. There were all sorts there.

"Landing craft, landing craft with guns, landing craft with rocket batteries all going off with bangs in all directions.

"It wasn't a scene of chaos but it was an incredible scene, you'll never see it ever again."

Eighty years after the Normandy landings, he is pleased his diary survived.

“I’m glad that I kept the memories," Mr Parish said.

"I’m glad that my children, my grandchildren, my great grandchildren will be able to read that.”

Like so many veterans, Mr Parish is modest about his part in D-Day.

“I don’t feel I’ve any cause to be proud of myself personally," he said.

"I was just an 18-year-old following a path, which I’d chosen."

Douglas served in the Royal Navy until 1967, reaching the rank of commander.

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