Joseph Alfred Curtis #2

My uncle Joseph Curtis has no immediate surviving family but I have been researching his life and death over the past 4 years. I have been able to discover such a lot of information, particularly the circumstances of precisely when, where and how he lost his life. And I continue to find out more about what happened over these days. You can read more about his life story here but this story shows what was happening on the day he was killed.

Between June 28th and July 3rd 1944, my uncle and 14 other men of the 1st Battalion, Herefordshire Regiment were killed in action in Normandy during Operation Epsom and its aftermath.

Sergeant Moppett's account began on 1 July 1944, after a tremendous British artillery barrage of 38,000 shells on to the German positions on Hill 112 had taken place between 00:30 and 04:30.

"The terrible night turned in to a silent dawn. The hunt for the intruders started. Sergeant Moppett of The Herefords was sent forward along the Esquay road, up the slope of Hill 112. His task was to assess the effect of the British artillery fire.

"Arriving at what I thought was the crest, I ordered the men to dismount (from their bren gun carriers). We went forward on foot. It was a false crest. The real one was 100 yards further on. All around was quiet. The sun shone in a blue sky. We could forget the war was on.

Then I saw the turret of a tank on our left. I crawled through the corn with Lance Corporal Morten. It was knocked out. Behind were several more.

We returned to the road and moved over the crest. Then I realised why the Germans wanted the hill. You could see for miles - over to Esquay and on to Evrecy and right over the Orne river. Everything was still quiet. We moved on. Carnage. Dead Germans everywhere, literally in piles amongst the wheat. There were seven or eight knocked out tanks.

As we were discussing the maps my look-out shouted 'Sarge - Steel helmets in the corn!' On our right, about 100 yards away, we could see German helmets moving. All hell let loose.

From Esquay, straight up the road, and from both sides came Spandau fire. Captain Barneby was hit in the first burst. I got him into a carrier and sent him back to the RAP (Regimental Aid Post). My bren guns were answering as best they could. I shouted for the carrier with the 2" mortar and the Vickers gun. It slewed round to give us some cover. I called for everyone to mount. Corporal Curtis was killed instantly, and he fell into the carrier.

I jumped on to the sloping front and we withdrew back over the crest. Then I pulled into a field and got the brens into position in case we were followed. A mortar bomb exploded amongst us. Lance Corporal Morten had shrapnel in the thigh and the Corporal was wounded in the face; one of the drivers was blinded.

Back in the 'safety' of The Herefords' position, Sergeant Moppett lost another driver who was hit in the head by shrapnel. Captain Barneby died of his wounds.

I had a moment of panic. In my first engagement I had lost my Platoon Commander, a Corporal, a Lance Corporal and two drivers. After four years of training together for the war, half my section had gone in a couple of hours.