D-Day: Soldier's words of war

From the Telegraph & Argus, first published Monday 7th Jun 2004.

A moving letter about the drama of D-Day sent by a young Bradford sailor to his mother was read in public by the war veteran 60 years after he had written it.

Len Couzens, now 79, read out the letter he had penned about his role in the Normandy landings during the assault at a poignant ceremony at Bradford's National Museum of Photography, Film and Television yesterday - the 60th anniversary of the Allied landings in France.

Mr Couzens, of Brae Avenue, Bolton, an able seaman, was part of the first wave of boats which slipped out of harbour shortly after midnight on June 6, 1944, part of the biggest naval force in history. He was a member of Light Coastal Forces equipped with flat-bottomed wooden boats known as Spitfires of the Sea.

"We kept patrol guarding the fleet," said Mr Couzens. "The Germans were trying to torpedo and mine the big ships. D-Day was the first time I'd come under serious fire.

"At the time I was only 19 and I was full of excitement. You were going to take part in history. As far as the eye could see there were ships - maybe 7,000 ships of every shape and size.

"At dawn all the aircraft went over and the sky was full of the roar of planes strafing the coast. By the time we went in it was 6.30."

Working four hours on and four hours off, Mr Couzens spent two full days escorting in wave after wave of troops, snatching a few minutes sleep here and there.

Mr Cozens recalled the exhilaration and fear as bullets whistled round his head and ears rang from thunderous rocket fire. "The Germans used to make every tenth bullet a tracer which you could see," he said. "They looked as if they snaked as they came towards you. Luckily, they didn't quite get our range."

After 48 hours and low on fuel, Mr Couzens and the rest of the crew of MGB 324 headed back to port without having sustained any casualties. Back in Lowestoft he wrote to his mother and then slept for 24 hours.

The following year Mr Couzens went on to train on aircraft carriers for a planned invasion of Japan. The atomic bombs dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima led to their surrender and at the end of 1945 he was demobbed.

After the war he found it difficult to get work but finally joined the Post Office, where he worked for 40 years. "The state the world is in now, it makes you wonder if it was worthwhile," he said.

"But on reconsidering it, we've had peace in Europe since then. All the big powers have managed to stay at peace so I suppose it achieved something. If it hadn't worked, we'd all be under Nazi tyranny."

Two dozen RAF cadets also played a central role in the D-Day celebrations at the museum.

Seventeen members of the Air Training Corps from 2168 Yeadon Squadron and 1224 Wharfedale Squadron provided music with such war-time favourites In the Mood and The Dambusters' March. Members of the 2387 Pudsey Squadron were also on hand to assist during the day.

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