Ron Levett's memories of joining up and training in the Royal Armoured Corps during World War II.

The Normandy landing had long been anticipated and on the morning of the invasion the skies over Dorset were full of aircraft. American bombers were stationed locally and about midmorning we saw the returning Fortresses, some of whom were firing very lights to show that they were carrying wounded crewmembers.

About a week after D-Day the Free French Armoured Division moved down to Weymouth to embark for Normandy. They travelled down through Bovington and took nearly a whole day in transit. The insignia on their vehicles was a map of France.

On the 12th June, I was given seven days leave, which was very welcome after the hard work of the previous six months. When I got home I found that the V1, or flying bomb assault had started.

A gun belt had been established on the coast, but the bombs, which had eluded them, were then fair game for the RAF fighters. This meant that many of the 'Doodle Bugs' as they were soon nicknamed were shot down in the Kent and Sussex countryside.

One dropped on a house in Arlington and the resident was killed. When I returned to camp after my leave I found that an enemy bomber had dropped a container of anti-personnel bombs on Bovington and there had been a number of casualties. These bombs were known as 'butterfly' bombs because of the way two small wings opened after they had landed.

Ron Levett, 2001