Interview conducted by Mr. Triesler at the restaurant outside the Pegasus Bridge on June Seventh 2008

    Smith- My name is Dennis Smith, good old English name, and I live near Cambridge in England, and I belong to the Forty Eighth Royal Marine Commando, and I’m the President and the secretary.

     Triesler- During the war, where did you serve mainly?

     Smith- The Forty Eighth Commando landed on Juno beach, on D-Day with the Canadians. We did a job there and thought we were going home after five days; it was a five day operation. But after that, the Canadians finished with us, and we came over here [France], and we dug in with the Airborne for two months here…

    Triesler- Here at Pegasus?

     Smith- Here at Pegasus -and down near Sallenelles to start with. Then we moved inland a bit further and we stayed two months with them [the Airborne]. When they went home they said we’ll take you home with us, but we didn’t go home until after the war had finished. We finished in Germany.

     Triesler- Where did you end up in Germany?

    Smith- Oh we finally finished in the Lower Ruhr Valley.

     Triesler- Did you ever see any of the big leaders like Montgomery in person?

     Smith- No I didn’t.

     Triesler- How did you get along with the Americans during the war?

     Smith- Well we didn’t very often come along with the Americans, we spent more time with the Canadians.

     Triesler- You got along well with them?

    Smith- We got on well with them. They used us as their fighting machine (laughs).

    Triesler- Is there anything that stands out vividly for you from the war? What do you think about most when you think about the war time?

    Smith- I was telling a man here that I’ll be turning eighty- four next month and I’ve only been in the hospital once in me life; that was when I was wounded. It was West Capella in Holland, fighting for the Canadians, and I finished in the Canadian Hospital in Belgium.

     Triesler- What happened that day when you were wounded? Can you tell me?

     Smith- Well I was a radio operator and when we did the landing at West Capella, it was very difficult to get through for the contact they wanted. There were sand dunes there, twenty, thirty feet high, and no way could I make contact with the radio. So, I went to the top of the dunes and of course the Germans were right down the other side. The areal [antenna] went over the top [of the hill] and there were sprays of machine gun fire all around the arial. Then, after a minute or two, I overcame the mortar bumps and they [the Germans] shot me.

     Triesler- Thank you so much for your service and for talking to me.