D-Day 80 The Last Veterans: Jim Grant

Jim Grant, Age 98, Royal Marines

Interviewed 30 July 2023

A Royal Marine who manned a gun on a Landing Craft Flak on D-Day, Mr Grant’s crew spent many hours off shore laying covering fire for soldiers running up the beaches. 

They also landed some troops themselves. LCFs were equipped with anti-aircraft guns to provide air cover for the troop-carrying landing craft. 

Those vessels looked very similar but did not have adequate firepower to defend themselves against air attack.

LCFs were remodelled versions of the landing craft designed to carry tanks and heavy vehicles.

Mr Grant said: "I was on LCF 29.

"We had been going up and down the Channel up until D-Day and then they sent us in. When D-Day came they just sent us straight over.

"We had four Pom Poms one in each corner of the craft and we had eight Oerlikons (both of these were anti-aircraft guns) on board. We lived on board and slept in hammocks.

"We had a message to pick up the Canadians at the Isle of Wight and take them over.

"They put them in small boats. They were all sick when they got there. 

"All they were doing was lying on the beach being sick. I don’t think we were really prepared for what happened. We was firing over the tops of their heads.

"Anybody on board who didn’t have a particular job on the gun they sent them in with and they joined in with the troops that was invading. 

"I was on a Pom-Pom and my job was to shoot at anything that we didn’t want there.

"We were firing over the tops of their heads hoping to hit the target on the other side. Our main job was firing at the aircraft but anything really.

"One came down and we thought it was going to hit us.

"It turned off to starboard and went into the sea.

"There was an explosion and it blew us sideways. It must have gone off when it hit the bottom of the sea."

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