ROY APPLETON
SERVICE NO. 296983
Army: Lieutenant
East Yorkshire Regiment
5th Battalion
DIED: 06 June 1944
AGE: 22
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
5th Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment landed at intervals from 07:25 on King Red sector, Gold Beach on D-Day. The battalion faced heavy enemy fire in front of Ver-sur-Mer and in particular from a German 88mm gun at La Rivière to the east.
With the assistance of tanks and fire support landing craft, by mid-morning the infantry gradually managed to advance beyond the beach area but they had suffered heavy casualties.
The battalion then progressed inland past Ver-sur-Mer but had to fight through various other German defensive positions. The exact circumstances of his death are not known.
MEMORIAL LOCATION: Column 3
![](https://www.britishnormandymemorial.org/wp-content/themes/british-normandy-memorial/images/columns/column3.png)
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