What did you do in the War, Granddad?
Many children and grandchildren, out of curiosity, ask ex-servicemen relatives to recount their wartime experiences. And many ex-servicemen – understandably – flatly refuse: what they endured was just too terrible to recall, let alone relate.
But 13-year old Emma Strange was clearly a much-favoured granddaughter, the “apple in Granddad’s eye”, and – just for her – D-Day veteran Tom Rhodes told his story.
Tom’s son-in-law, Andy Strange, takes up the story.
My father-in-law, Thomas Arthur Rhodes, told his experiences of landing on Omaha beach to just one person, my daughter, Emma. We have since found photos and a copy of his service records. He was a LAC and an RTO with HQ TAF sigs 5006H MSU.
In the photos he is on the left in the front view of the truck…
…and in the centre in the rear view.
Ronald Muggleton comments > 5006H was a Mobile Signals Unit manned by 21 Other Ranks. It was one of 3 such Units, one being allocated to to each Base Defence Sector. Its purpose was to operate 4 number, V.H.F. W/T channels and provided R/T communication with Wing and adjacent GCIs (Ops). According to information recorded in the Operations Book for No. 21 Base Defence Sector, MSU5006H was allocated to GCI 15082 and is shown as having accompanied it to Omaha Beach on D-Day. There is a plate on the front bumper which states that it is 2TAF 5006H. I can only surmise that it would have been a Signals technical vehicle similar in function to the radar ones.
Andy Strange continues > My daughter, Emma, completed the project in 1991 when she was 13. She talked to her grandfather, Tom, on her own – my wife, and mother-in-law Ivy, were banished to the kitchen! Tom gave Emma a lot of detail that she was asked not to include in her report: it clearly helped her grandfather simply to share those experiences, even more than four decades later. Emma remembers that Tom had to get a uniform to wear from a dead American. (There was a problem with RAF uniforms: the fabric had been treated to provide some protection in the event of a gas attack. That plus the salt water of The Channel turned the material grey, and made the uniform look similar to what the Germans were wearing. Changing to the American uniform was a matter of life or death. Editor)
As well as the German phrase book and guide, Tom had preserved the telegram of thanks he received – and the menu for Christmas 1944!
Tom’s family also obtained a copy of his Service Record:
These are badges from Tom’s uniform:
Ron Muggleton writes > The larger image shows the combined operations badge which was worn on each forearm. They were in pairs with the muzzle of the machine gun facing forward.