[Private_collector]

As mentioned this morning, the following is a copy of a letter I sent to the ABC. Subject is self explanatory. Thought some here may have the same sentiments and could find it interesting. Hopefully I have remembered the details correctly.

Dear Four Corners Team,

I watched your presentation of Day of Days last night, and felt compelled to write and offer my thanks for showing this wonderful piece of history, which was also a great tribute to those that participated in Operation Overlord (D Day military designation). I watched with my Wife, often in tears, as the veterans described their experiences.*As a community health worker in Gympie, QLD, I have had the extreme honor of meeting two of the men who were among the may that stormed the beaches on that day. It is incredible that there are 2 of those fellows, living within 20 minutes of Gympie itself. One of these chaps has now passed away, and the other, now in his mid 90s, still lives with his wife on a rural property, just out of town. If I may, I would like to briefly tell you of these remarkable men.

Mr William Dodd was a British tank commander, who initially served in the 7th Armoured Division, fighting in the African desert under command of Bernard Montgomery, against the German tactical genious General Erwin Rommel. His stories, and collection of photographs, are absolutely amazing. To wage war and survive that hell of an environment is a remarkable feat itself, without his participation in the events to come. His, and many other tank crews, were recalled to Britain where he was then trained to operate a Top Secret development, known now as a 'D.D.' tank. The abbreviation stands for "Duplex Drive", and those tanks were able to be launched from an ocean going vessel several miles offshore from Normandy, where a pneumatic canvas skirt was raised to float the tank (weighing far more than 10 tons) which had a propellor in the rear that drove it forward. Mr Dodd came ashore on D Day, from the sea, driving one of these floating tanks! A number of the German defenders lost their lives simply because they were transfixed on the spectacle of tanks coming out of the water, and were so stunned by this that they stood staring, when they shood have been seeking cover. Mr Dodd is an EXTREMELY LUCKY man. Greater than half of all the D.D. tanks launched did not reach the beaches, as they were launched in open ocean*far from shore, and the ocean conditions were too rough for them to be operated without being swamped. Many men lost their lives when their tank sunk in deep ocean. A number of these 'craft' still lay on the ocean floor where they sank, and they still contain the remains of the brave men who crewed them. These tanks continue to defy belief*today! They are one example of a range of devices named collectively as Hobarts Funnies. The inventor was a gentleman by the name of Hobart. His other inventions are also remarkable, and are too numerous to speak of in detail here.

The second of the D Day veterans I mention, is Mr Stanley Fox, a Royal Marine who was amongst the first British troops to come ashore around dawn, on*6th June, 1944. Mr Fox was still a child when war broke out in 1939, and he was amongst the children who were evacuated from the major cities, to remove them from harms way. While I am not aware of the exact date of his enlistment, I do know that he joined the British army the day after his Mother was killed during a German air raid. Mr Fox told me he joined especially to "kill every German he could get his hands on" in retribution for his Mothers death. He then went on to assure me that he succeeded in that endeavour! At time of telling me this story, the anger and pain could still be heard in his voice, after some 65 years. Mr Fox was not a man to speak openly of this episode in his life, and it was only after I had known him several years that he recanted these events for me. Mr Fox's military unit were loaded into a landing barge off the French coast, in the hours before dawn, and they then made their way ashore, through high seas and eventual enemy shelling from the large artillery guns on the shore. As their barge made its journey, they were also at threat from the sea. As with Mr Dodd in his D.D. tank, the ocean was so rough that many men were violently ill through the voyage. It is now known that the weakened state these men arrived in, was a major contributor to their untimely deaths, as they had lost their physical strength and some stamina, decreasing their ability to fight. As Mr Fox spoke of what happened when the door of the landing barge was lowered, it was impossible not to feel moved and emotional. He spoke of the high spirits of the men as they travelled the final few hundred feet to the beach. He described how the men were expressing their desire to be the first off the barge, and how each man wanted to be the first to get at the Germans. The reality of what occured next would be vastly different from their expectations. The German defenders, aware of what 'sitting ducks' these vessels were, had trained their machine guns on the doors of the barges, and awaited their lowering. When the doors finally dropped, the men were cut to ribbons before they had a chance to reach dry land. Of the men on Mr Foxs barge, more than half died before reaching French soil. Seeing this happen, and knowing what fate awaited him, Mr Fox made the decision to jump over the side of the barge and take his chances in the still very deep water. As a result of the weight of his pack and fighting equipment, he almost drowned in the water, but was able to eventually make his way to the beach. May men were not this lucky. Many men drowned, or were over run by following barges. Some were shot in the water, or died as a result of enemy shelling of the barges. If there is a hell, what occured on the morning of June 6th must surely be a glimpse of that, and the events of the day continue to haunt the survivors, even after the decades which have rolled along since that time.

Sadly, Mr Fox passed away last year. I attended his funeral, and was quite surprised and very honored to see that the photograph which adoned his casket was a photo I had taken of him on ANZAC Day a year prior, that showed him formally dressed and standing very dignified, wearing his military medals.*

In closing, allow me to once again express my gratitude to your airing of the story of the men of D Day. Despite what the participants have felt and voiced, I continue to believe they are ALL heroes, regardless of their part in the event, or their longevity since that day. I have watched and listened closely to media reporting, as D Day anniversary approaches each year, and I have always been dismayed to find very little (if any) mention or recognition of the significance of that day, despite it being the event which stands alone as the largest single human endeavour in history. For the anniversary to pass into obscurity would be a shameful blight against the sacrifice of those whose memories and nightmares can only be relieved by their own death.

Having watched your presentation, and while this remains fresh in my mind, I intend to make the time*today*to visit my one living link with D Day, to shake his hand and thank him once again for the sacrifice he has made to ensuring the world remained free from the nazi rampage of World War II.*

I eagerly await, and always appreciate, your stations coverage of ANZAC Day commemorations, and very much look forward to your program Ten Days to D Day, on the evening of this years anniversary of the event.

Yours humbly,

Tony Baker
Gympie, QLD

As a foot note, I did visit Mr Dodd, and he looks EXACTLY the same as I saw him last, some 6+ months ago. He still lives with his Wife, in their own home. He continues to display the same warmth of personality and sunny disposition! His Wife continues to provide him with her care and love, as she has done for over 60 years of marriage. They are both the epitome of youthful minds in aged bodies!

Hope you enjoyed the letter.