This is my diary of D-Day as seen from my ship, HMS Jervis:
| 24 May | Arrived Portsmouth from Scapa Flow. Special equipment installed. I was to destroy it if hit. |
| 2 June | Anchored in West Solent off Yarmouth with other destroyers. |
| 4 June | Prayers, then briefed for D-Day. Gale so invasion postponed for 24 hours. |
| 5 June | Landing craft passing us all the morning. Weighed anchor in evening and proceeded via Needles Channel, escorting HMS Bulolo, HQ ship. |
| 1900 hrs | Escorting 50th Division, Group 6. Off St Catherine’s Point. Course south to GOLD beach. Hundreds of aircraft overhead in darkness. |
| 6 June | |
| 0435 | Landing ships anchored. HMS Jervis headed for beach. |
| 0545 | Followed BYMS minesweeper with other destroyers for beach. |
| 0645 | 4 miles off. First light. Identified target: house at Arromanches with blue shutters by a camouflaged 88mm gun. Opened fire, first ship to do so in the British sector; target destroyed. A slow-firing German gun returned fire but missed us on port bow. |
| 0715 | Landing craft rockets – LCT(R) – fired 600 rockets onto beach. What a sight! |
| 0712-22 | Rapid fire; shifted target to German battery overlooking beach. |
| 0733½ | Tanks ashore; only 2½ minutes late! Arromanches No 2 battery (HMS Grenville’s target) replied causing casualties. Closed target (old French 75mm gun and German 88mm). Knocked it out. |
| Noon | Soup and sandwiches passed around ship. |
| 1443 | Called for fire on strong point holding up troops. Hit target with 5th salvo. Message from Brigadier: ‘Village captured without loss. Thank you.’ |
| 1523 | Bombarded near sunken destroyer, Svenner (torpedoed). |