On the way to Normandy
One of the signatures on the “Hardway Embarkation Board
The Gosport D-Day Fellowship are seeking help deciphering some more writing from the Hardway Embarkation Board shown above.
They think it could read Wallace, J. – Rag Man or RAC Man from Smutford End, Smatford, E13
If anyone has any information on this name or any ideas on who may have signed their name on this document then please get in touch.
Penny Harris
Associate Researcher GDDF
First Names
On the way to Normandy
Is there anybody who has
a relative called James Baxter?
James would have been born between 1905 and 1925, probably lived in Edinburgh, Scotland and in 1944 he was a Sergeant in the Regiment of Artillery and his military number was 891891.
He left England for Normandy in 1944 from the Hardway embarkation point in Gosport and signed the piece of paper mentioned in this article whilst in Gosport.
In Normandy he was awarded the Military Medal for bravery.
Please make contact if you think he is part of your family
Penny Harris
Associate Researcher GDDF
On the way to Normandy
During May of 1944 vehicles of all shapes and sizes started arriving in Gosport, a town on the south coast of England. Everything from tanks to jeeps lined the streets and as they departed for Normandy after the 4th of June, more arrived to replace them, for several weeks.
There were three embarkation points in Gosport and the most northerly, in an area called Hardway, ran into Portsmouth harbour. The harbour had been dredged specially and so Hardway could accept the large US built LCT (Landing Craft Transport) vessels regardless of the tide level in the harbour.
A local resident who lived in the road approaching the embarkation area placed a large sheet of paper on his gate with “Good Luck Boys” and “Safe and Quick Return” on it.
Well over a hundred men signed the paper, a copy of which was given to Gosport D-Day Fellowship (GDDF) a couple of years ago by the grandson of the resident. Our aim is to try and trace the relatives of these guys before the 75th commemorations in 2019. Some of these signatures are almost impossible to read, mainly due to damage to the paper and also because some men signed over the top of others.
If you think a relative of yours could have left for Normandy from Gosport, please make contact. There are several Canadians amongst the signatures and quite a few RAF and RCAF.
Penny Harris
Associate Researcher GDDF