D-Day 80 The Last Veterans: James Belcher

James Belcher, Age 98, Royal Marines

Interviewed 21 February 2024

A Royal Marine who was one of the first to arrive at Gold Beach at about 5.30am ahead of the Navy’s aerial bombardment and troop landings, Mr Belcher was part of a three-man crew on a landing craft. 

The crew had previously been training on assault craft, practising how to get troops onto shore, before travelling to Portsmouth.

Their first job was to drop off about 14 soldiers from the Special Boat Squadron.

"When we were going to the beach I looked up into the sky and it was full of aircraft but when we landed it was quiet," Mr Belcher said.

"As soon as we came away the battleships started to fire off.

"We were landing these soldiers onto the beach. I think there were only 14 on the boat."

Those soldiers were tasked with clearing X-shaped obstacles known as Czech hedgehogs from the beach.

"They were designed to catch and damage landing craft and the Allies wanted them removed or dismantled before troops landed.

He said: "Each one of those had explosives on and they had to take them off.

"We were landing these soldiers onto the beach."

The landing craft returned to Portsmouth and returned later to the American sector, where many troops had faced heavy fire on D-Day.

"Terrible, terrible," he said.

"There were bodies in the sea.

"Worst thing I have ever seen. Some of the American landing craft had sunk beforehand.

"And when we were coming away we hit a mine - panic, panic.

"Because we were below decks and the ship listed to one side - we were picked up by a Liberty ship and brought back to England."

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