D-Day 80 The Last Veterans: Bob Piper

Bob Piper, Age 98, Royal Signals 

Interviewed 7 July 2023

Joining the Royal Sussex Regiment, his home regiment, Bob Piper transferred to the Royal Signals and became a wireless operator.

He went to Normandy seven days after the invasion as part of an advance party to set up communication links for the 15th Scottish Infantry Division which he was attached to. 

He remembers training for a long time beforehand.

"We didn’t even know where we were going," he said.

"And we went down to West Grinstead and Monty (General Montgomery) came and did his thing and said ‘You are going in.’

"And he shook hands with everybody and said ‘Good luck and I hope I see you all when it’s all over."

Mr Piper said on D-Day itself the part of Sussex he was in got very busy before he left for his departure point of Southampton.

"Everywhere was stacked up with tanks, lorries and the woods were packed with stacks of petrol and ammunition dumps and on the road there was metal sheds full of ammunition.

"Eventually they said you are ready to go and the Americans were one side and we were down the other.

"We had already waterproofed the vehicles and the wireless sets. We put a groundsheet up the front of the vehicle so when we hit the water it didn’t come in and smash the radiator."

Once in France he operated from foxholes dug in the ground and taught officers how to use wireless sets. 

"All the time you were either digging a hole in the ground or there with the headphones on. We were reasonably safe although we lost a wireless truck and a (Messerschmitt) 109 came over and shot it up and the signal office caught fire.

"There were so many wireless sets in that small area. We had an officer there and we had to keep the communication open. We had a set procedure. You didn’t give names or units. We had to teach the officers and I remember teaching a doctor and when he first used it he switched it on and froze.

"He said ‘I can do an operation but this frightens me.’ I saw that doctor and he had repaired a chap’s jaw."

Mr Piper served through Belgium, Holland and Germany. 

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