Monday, 4 December [1944] S.S. Longford
A really rough night. The boat pitched and tossed in the choppy channel waters. We had “C” rations for the trip. Many of the men were sick. Most of us had state rooms. This was a considerable improvement over the Highland Monarch.1 A steel screw motorship built by Harland and Wolff of Belfast, the Highland Monarch was commissioned in 1928 for the Nelson Line. It was one of five “Highland” class ships and ferried Allied soldiers from America to England. It was eventually scrapped in 1960. “Gallery No. 39—Troopships,” Accessed April 24, 2014. Britisharmedforces.org. Sea Lanes to France very busy. Boats headed in every direction. Arrived off La Havre France this afternoon. Sea still rough as hell.
Don’t know when we will pull into port but will probably anchor until tomorrow morning. The weather is a little rough and the shipping is tremendous.
Tuesday, 5 December [1944] S.S. Longford
Still aboard. Ship is 40 years old and used to make the run from Belfast to Liverpool. We started into the Harbor at Le Havre around 1530 and what I’ve seen since then is just impossible to describe. Several boats are sunk in the entrance, which is the main reason it took us so long to get in. The harbor itself is completely destroyed. We got on an LSi and then to shore. The city itself is absolutely leveled. There aren’t even any ruins left standing. Our aircraft and the British did this damage in about two hours, its almost inconceivable. We landed on D-Day plus 182 and I realize for the first time how horrible war can be.
Wednesday, 6 December [1944] Le Havre, France
We spent the night in the ruins of the Fracetli Hotel, once the finest in France, and in the morning [Continued on next page]