D-Day 80 The Last Veterans: Simeon Mayou

Simeon Mayoy, Age: 99, Royal Navy Patrol Service

Interviewed 20 February 2024

On board HMS Fusilier on D-Day, Mr Mayou was a radar operator who’d previously been escorting Atlantic convoys.

The ship was a heavily-armed naval trawler and told to head to the Channel ports.

Mr Mayou said: "It was a very good ship, and our job had been searching for U-boats.

"It was a brand new ship, and it was built in the style of trawlers.

"We came to the Channel and it was a huge sight to see - we thought the British Navy was going to have a battle with the German Navy. 

"On 6th of June over our PA came the order for all non-duty ratings to form on the main mess deck.

"We all got down there and thought this would be it. After a while the officers and captain came down and the captain took his hat off, put it under his arm, looked round and said: ‘Well lads I expect every man to stand by his duties. Splice the mainbrace, we are going to invade Normandy.'"

During and after the crossing, hundreds of Allied planes were overhead.

The next order given to Fusilier was to bombard enemy positions and protect the landing force. 

"Just free-firing with a big gun," Simeon added.

"After a while we were told to cease firing because we were almost hitting our own troops.

"The big gunners were enjoying themselves at that time. It was a very loud noise when it went off. 

"We came off the beach area and the next job was to escort big tank landing craft which were being used as an emergency vehicle to get the seriously wounded back to Portsmouth.

"Germany was still operating those one-man submarines so we were to escort these people back."

On arrival, Mr Mayou was one of those chosen to act as a stretcher bearer.

Later in Normandy he was involved in the rescue of survivors from a ship which had been mined, ferrying them to a hospital ship.

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