This story relates to the documentary project I did about the Normandy Veterans. Over the course of this project I came to know, talk to and socialise with many individual veterans. But the one that will always stand out in my mind and last in my memory was a wonderful human being called Maxwell Vernon Hearst from Hull. Max was called up at the start of WWII and he joined the East Yorkshire Regiment has an infantry soldier.
Max took part in the retreat to, and evacuation from Dunkirk, in which many small boats and the Royal Navy managed to bring safely back to Britain some 300,000 soldiers. Max had a story to tell about everything. He remembers that they were low on food rations and he saw a rabbit suddenly appear in front of him, with visions of rabbit stew floating through his mind he put his Lee
Enfield .303 rifle to his shoulder took careful aim, squeezed the trigger and fired one round.
He then went to pick the now deceased animal up but he found himself suddenly surrounded by French soldiers, all pointing their rifles at him and shouting. After the
initial confusion he learned that he had just gone and shot and killed this French unit's Regimental mascot!!!
Max then served in the Desert with the 8
th Army, and then he participated in the D-Day landings on the morning of 6
th June 1944. Later on he was in Holland and whilst acting as a motor bike dispatch rider. He came under enemy mortar shell fire and one landed close by knocking him off his bike and into a nearby canal.
He was pulled to safety and taken to Hospital where he had both his arms put into plaster. Then his good mate "
Taggy Taylor" entered his life (I will leave that one to your imagination). Both arms in plaster and a mate called "
Taggy".
Max was a wonderful warm human being with a good sense of humour and he was a terrific story teller (all of which were true). But sadly like old soldiers he eventually faded away in 2003. It was my pleasure, honour and
privilege to have known him. That is why the resulting project and exhibition touring programme meant so much to me, in that it made his and many other's like him experience's and exploit's available to a new generation.
I will always remember having the opportunity to sit with, and talk to Max whilst sharing a few pitchers of ice cold beer in a London pub one very hot summer evening (see the photo entitled "American Girl's"). History straight from those who where there, it does not get any better than that.
We are fast running out of living memory of this generation who we owe so very much to. Rest in peace Max and all the others who I came to know and who are now longer with us. The world is a poorer place without you all.
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