D-Day 80 The Last Veterans: Joe Randall
Joe Randall, Age 100, RAF
Interviewed 21 November 2023
A member of 5022 Airfield Construction Squadron, Joe Randall arrived in France shortly after D-Day, tasked with building an airstrip from scratch in fields near Caen.
This was so that RAF planes could support the Army’s advance in the early weeks without having to fly longer distances from UK airfields.
Mr Randall had trained in Scotland to construct airfields before crossing from Portsmouth at the end of June and landing on Juno beach.
He said: "We came over on one of those Yankee ships, the bigger one because of our equipment. We had to have time to get the land, it wasn’t just a hundred yards long.
"We couldn’t get to our job because the land hadn’t been taken.
"What we did within in a couple of hours of being there we had to go into these woods.
"Because our infantry when they are on the move any troops in the woods they were left there, they didn’t bother with that. And that was our first job, to clear that one.
"It was not a big hero job but there were a few bullets flying around. It wasn’t that bad. They gave in and that was it."
After this skirmish the squadron members found the designated site, levelled the land, laid track and made the site operational in about eight days.
Advanced landing grounds were often constructed using tarred canvas, matting and metal mesh and sometimes the dust proved a problem for many aircraft.
"It was really hard work" he said.
"We had to dig in every night to get out of sight. We had one blanket. If it rained that was hard luck. You got up in the morning and you never took any clothes off. Boots and everything were on because we weren’t that far back. To me being as young as it was I accepted it more than the other chaps.
"I was a Corporal, but we were a pretty good bunch I think."
Among the planes using the airfield were Hawker Typhoons that had been adapted to carry bombs.
They attacked gun batteries and German E-Boats and helped dislodge enemy troops who were digging in.
Mr Randall said: "Our Tiffys (Hawker Typhoons) went up to the front line which was just over the road. We saw them taking off and then sometimes go down in action. They did some magnificent work those pilots. They were friendly.
"We would be there in the morning to see them off and they always gave us a wave."
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