Cecil Newton (1923-2015)

Cecil Newton, Trooper with the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards (predecessor of The Royal Dragoon Guards, of which HRH The Prince of Wales is Colonel-in-Chief). On D-Day Newton was a DD ‘Swimming’ Tank gunner, landing as part of the first wave on Gold Beach. He remembers vividly the horrors of the day: ‘The crossing was extremely rough ... Our tank became swamped and we made valiant attempts to get it out ... but to no avail. We rescued our belongings from the tank including the cooker so that we could have a cup of tea ... On the incoming tide the bodies of two young Royal Marines rolled about in the surf ... Stretcher-bearers were methodically picking up the corpses and placing them in rows with feet towards the sea; one row for the British and a separate row for the Germans ...’